UPDATE on effort to IMPEACH Kristi Noem

I'm joined now by Congressman Walkin. Castro. Thanks so much for joining me. >> Yeah, good to be with you. >> So, Congressman, obviously this story. just a few days ago of a 5-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, kind of swept across the. nation. This was a young boy who was. photographed wearing a a blue hat with. bunny ears and a Spider-Man backpack. used as bait by DHS to be able uh to to. get the boy's uh father. Those two have. now been detained. Can you give an. update because you've been in close. contact with them uh what that what that.

status is right now? >> Yeah. So, you know, as soon as the the. news broke and all of us saw that. picture and you know, Liam looked like. like a cute typical 5-year-old and there. was a question at the beginning about. where they were going to be sent or what. ICE was doing with them. And when we. found out they were going to be sent to. Dilly in Texas, which is about an hour. and a half from my hometown of San. Antonio, um I said, I want to check on. his safety and his whereabouts and also.

demand his release. Uh because that. really like shocked the conscience of. the nation. >> Yeah. >> And I guess in a way it shouldn't. because there are scores of kids like. that at Dilly right now that are 5 years. old, that are younger, that are a little. bit older. Um but Liam really has become. the face of this monstrous ice system. >> And so can you give um any update in. terms of first of all how they're doing. and second of all how that process is. playing out um you know the prospect of.

of of his release? >> Well, you know, we've been in touch with. his legal team and also my staff and I. with his mom. And from what I. understand, they're hanging in there, but obviously it's very tough. It's just. a severe change obviously, not just for. them, but for anybody that goes through. this. Um, these are not nice places that. they're being held. Uh, Dilly in this. case. And so I have a confirmed visit. with him tomorrow on Wednesday, uh, starting at about 11:00 a.m. with he and.

his father. And u, you know, we ICE. imposes this 7-day notification for. members of Congress to go. And the. unfortunate thing is that the courts. have allowed for that to stand. They've. allowed for Donald Trump to keep. imposing that 7-day notice. But but even. more than that, they require another 48. hours notice before your visit of. specific people you want to meet with. So we also had to go round and round. with ICE uh because you know, we sent. over the affidavit or the form getting.

permission from his mom and they said, "No, that doesn't count. Uh the detainee. has to sign it." So, we sent back word. saying, "What do you It's a 5-year-old. It's a minor." And they said, "Oh, yeah, you know, that's right. Yeah, it's a. minor." Okay. Uh, so it was just this. morning that we got confirmation that. I'll be able to visit with he and his. dad tomorrow on Wednesday. >> Can I have your response to the fact. that ICE tried to claim in the very. beginning that they weren't doing. exactly what it was they were doing, which is using him as bait to get to his. father?

>> Yeah. No, I mean and and they've done. that in other cases even in the last few. months where we see that they're holding. on to young kids because they know how. much their parent the parents love those. kids and they're trying to use the kid. to get the parent to come out, you know, and then they started with this whole. story about his dad abandoning him, you. You know, the thing is they have. traditional news media and social news. media channels that pump out that story. and you see that storyline become the.

thing that people repeat over and over. to try to like relieve their conscience. of the fact that it's just it's it's. monstrous, >> right? That to rel to relieve their. conscious of the fact that that is not. at all what's happening. But they kind. of they kind of manipulate everybody. else and themselves in a way into. believing the that they're. spewing. Well, again, I think it's a way. for them never to have to admit that. Trump Trump's administration or what. they're supporting is doing anything bad. or wrong. You know, they it's the no was. his dad. His dad abandoned him. So, we.

had to go take him and, you know, take. him right out of Minnesota in a few. hours and dump him in a detention center. in Texas. You know, it's all this. constant rationalization of bad acts. I. think the the most chilling part of this. is the ease with which they tell these. lies that you can have this shooting of. Alexander Prey for example and. immediately without an ounce of shame. have Christy Nome JD Vance Steven Miller. all of these Republican mouthpieces in. the administration uh Greg Bovino say. that he was a domestic terrorist that he. was charging the ICE agents that he was.

brandishing a gun. And so again the ease. with which these people can lie is is. among the most chilling aspects of this. And so to that end, what is Congress. able to do to hold these administration. officials to account? Obviously, there's. some reporting that Greg Bovino has been. demoted and is no longer commander at. large. Um, we can talk about that in a. moment, but but you know, you have. direct oversight, for example, onto. Christine Gnome and other cabinet. secretaries. So, is there a concerted. effort right now uh to actually move.

forward with this impeachment effort? >> Yeah, and and we have to be strong here. I should not get another goddamn dime. They executed somebody. We saw they shot. Alex Freddy after he had been disarmed. And they shot him. He was lifeless. And. then they shot him again. You know, they have gone and taken these. kids and not told their families where. they're taking them. They're violating. people's constitutional and human. rights. So, they should not get zero. They should get no money. I should be.

disbanded ultimately and Christine Gnome. should be impeached. There's now, I. believe, over 140 Democrats who have. signed on to that impeachment. resolution. Now, it's actually it's a. tough thing to do to get that many. people in Congress to sign on to an. impeachment resolution with a few. obviously with a few exceptions, right? But for a cabinet secretary like that. and now I don't see any reason why every. single Democrat in the Congress can't. sign on to that impeachment resolution. and some Republicans who who I think.

know the truth, but they're still kind. of scared that Donald Trump's going to. mess with them in their primary and so. they don't want to quite say anything. that's too aggressive. But, you know, people need to do the right thing and. cut off ISIS funding, impeach Christine. Gnome, uh, and, you know, that's the. only way if we use that leverage that. we're actually going to start to clean. things up. >> Is it worth it for these Republicans to. continue heaping deference onto Trump. when what we're dealing with is a 7030. issue against the Republicans, against.

Donald Trump? >> Yeah. I don't know. I mean, these. they're so scared of Donald Trump, right? You know, the irony is that these. folks are like often very brash and and. and. >> beating their chest as these alphas. >> Yeah. Everything like, you know, chess. thumping all of it. These politicians, these Republican politicians and yet. they basically uh just follow anything. that Donald Trump wants, >> right? >> I mean, they'll do they'll do whatever. he wants. They just follow him. I do. think that that's starting to break now,

uh especially as we get closer to the. election, >> right? I I think uh you know at at the. end of the day they just they they. really just want to to to heap deference. onto like a strong man. All these alphas. in the Republican party are just. desperate for some for some man some. strong man that they can follow uh even. if they have to just completely. sacrifice every ounce of their integrity. uh in doing so. Do you think that if the. reporting is correct that Greg Bovino. was indeed demoted that that's their. effort to plate uh everybody who.

obviously wants to see some. accountability on the whole ICE shooting. front? >> Yeah. It could very well be Trump's way. of basically throwing the country a. bone, so to speak, right? Is, you know, because they'll never stand up there and. admit they're wrong or that they made a. mistake or apologize, but sometimes. through actions you'll see that they. know that they messed up. Yeah. >> And I think this is one of those cases. where they know the public outcry. They. know people are pissed off and they feel.

like they got to do something. And so. they're throwing Greg Bavino under the. bus when really yes, it's Greg Bavino, but it's not just Greg Bavino. It's. Christine, it's Tom Holman, and it's. Donald Trump. It's this whole system. that they've set up, >> right? I mean, the the reality is that. the fish rots from the head. And the way. that that this agency is comporting. itself is a direct reflection of what. they've been allowed to do by virtue of. its leadership. And in fact, I'm going. to throw a clip right here on this. screen. Uh and then I want to discuss it. afterwards.

>> Don't put me in. [screaming]. you. >> So that was an ICE agent in Minnesota. mooning a bunch of protesters who are. watching from down below before. ultimately flipping them off. So, you. know, we we had just spoken a moment ago. about this idea that um that the the rot. that we're seeing in this agency is a. direct reflection of the leadership. But. can I just get your reaction in general. to kind of the behavior that we're.

seeing at the hands of ICE, both, you. know, in in moments like this, uh, as. well as what we're seeing on the. streets. >> Well, I mean, I think that's what. happens when you have the president and. the vice president stand up and say that. no matter what these guys do, they have. legal immunity. >> They're never going to be prosecuted for. anything. And so in the streets, they're. reckless and they're lawless. and then. they don't take seriously what's going. on. Uh it's also a group of people who. are just terribly undertrained and.

untrained. Uh I mean ICE ICE won't even. tell us exactly who they're hiring or. how they're hiring people. So that's a. big part of the problem too. >> Is there going to be some effort or or. or can you commit to some effort in the. aftermath of this administration? Let's. say we have Democratic majorities in. Congress and a Democrat in the White. House that there won't be an effort to. do. I think what a lot of us saw happen. during the Biden administration, which. is to say, okay, we we can't pursue.

justice without fear of favor because we. have to take into account the optics of. politicization. And so, if that means. Merrick Garland can't touch Donald Trump. for his blatant crimes against democracy. for two years before only then daining. to appoint a special counsel, so be it. I think that that not only does that. leave Americans with this idea that. there are two tiers of justice, but it. also emboldens criminals to continue. committing criminal acts if there's no. deterrent there's no there's no uh. deterrent effect against what against.

anything that they're doing. And so as. it relates to to these ICE agents, as it. relates to the administration officials. who are right now giving them cover, I. had one prosecutor who I speak with. regularly say that they're acting as. accessories after the fact. In general, will there be an effort to hold these. people who've committed crimes to. account uh when they're no longer. protected by Pam Bondi and Trump? >> There should absolutely be. accountability even if it's after Donald. Trump is no longer in the White House. And hopefully we learned our lesson from.

the timidity of the Meritt Garland years. that you have to hold people. accountable. They have to know that. there's consequences for their actions. and they have to pay a legal price for. those actions. So that's why it's. important that people record everything, that they report everything, uh that. they they keep an accounting of what's. going on. I know JB Pritsker in. Illinois, for example, is setting up a. kind of accountability commission over. there because you there are not only. federal laws that are being violated,

but also state laws that are being. violated and that should be done in. every state, I believe. >> And finally, last question here. Um, Donald Trump had come out uh and said. that you can't have guns. And this was. his last ditch effort to kind of absolve. the ICE agent who shot Alex Prey by. leaning on, you know, this very tenuous. excuse that if only Alex Prey hadn't had. his gun, which he had a concealed carry. permit to do and which was holstered at. the time. And in fact, he never.

brandished it. And he was uh disarmed by. an ICE agent. And only after he was. disarmed did the shots actually ring. out. So, in every single instance, uh, the fact that he had a gun played no. role in this, but still Trump needs some. excuse to be able to absolve the ICE. agent and vilify Alex Prey. And so, he. he came out and said that you can't have. guns. Uh, obviously, this comes in in. stark contrast to what his and. Republicans uh previous positions had. been, which is, you know, that you can. have guns and more the more the more.

guns the better. Um, so can I have your. reaction to this uh to this kind of Hail. Mary passed by Trump uh to to now vilify. the Second Amendment in an effort to. absolve these ICE agents? >> I think what we're seeing now is Donald. Trump and MAGA Republicans starting to. cannibalize even their own base. Uh. because out of necessity, they feel. like, you know, that's the only thing. they can kind of hang their hat on in. this encounter, right? And and I think. it's why you saw the gun owners of. America and others who support who have.

strongly supported the Second Amendment. uh come out and take issue with what. happened. Uh but there are also a lot of. others who have stayed silent, people. that have spoken up for the Second. Amendment, right? Uh who, you know, who. still are supporting Donald Trump even. as he says these things. But they will. continue going after constitutional. rights, the First Amendment, the Second. Amendment, and so on, um, until the. American people stand up and say that. we've had enough. >> All right. Well, we will leave it there,

Congressman. Thank you, uh, thank you. for the time today, and thanks for, uh, especially staying on top of this story. uh, as it relates to to Liam Ramos, this. 5-year-old child, and, uh, and all these. other kids who have been caught up in. this drag net that the Trump. administration has cast. Um, you know, I. I I I wish there was some silver lining. in any of this, but it's just like a. heartbreaking story. So, I'm I'm at. least glad that you uh that you're not. letting this kind of fall by the. wayside. >> No, we'll keep at it. [music].