Stansbury condemns Trump administration actions, supports impeachment efforts
US Representative Melanie Stansbury said Friday that congressional Democrats are using “every congressional and legal tool” available to push back against what she described as unlawful actions and escalating violence by the Trump administration, both domestically and internationally.
During a press conference held on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, Rep. Stansbury expressed concerns about the political climate. Stansbury stated that the current political climate has instilled a sense of fear, anger, and uncertainty among many Americans, particularly as the nation approaches the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Stansbury highlighted recent events in Minnesota, where a group of House Democrats traveled to Minneapolis and St. Paul to hold a hearing on the federal government’s deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security personnel. She described scenes of families being tear-gassed, individuals being pulled from vehicles, and the reported killing of a mother during enforcement actions.
Citing reporting that tear gas was deployed near a vehicle carrying a six-month-old child who, she stated, later stopped breathing and required emergency medical treatment, Stansbury said the incidents have prompted members of Congress to file articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Stansbury said she joined 71 colleagues in filing the articles, with more than 80 House members now supporting the effort.
“Impeachment is not just a legal tool,” Stansbury said. “At this moment, it is a moral imperative.”
She acknowledged that impeachment would require a majority vote in the House and said it remains unclear whether Republicans would support moving forward. In addition to allegations related to immigration enforcement, Stansbury said Noem is also under investigation for alleged corruption and misuse of federal funds.
Stansbury expressed alarm over comments by the president suggesting the possible use of the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota. She said such actions could be intended to incite violence and raised concerns about statements in which the president has suggested canceling future elections.
Turning to foreign policy, Stansbury criticized what she described as an unauthorized US military invasion of Venezuela, initially justified as an effort to protect American lives but later linked, she said, to oil interests. She said Congress is investigating reports that Venezuelan oil revenues may be diverted to offshore accounts rather than the U.S. Treasury.
Stansbury said she is particularly concerned about the president’s threats to invade Greenland, noting that Greenland is part of the NATO alliance through Denmark. She warned that any US military action against Greenland could implicate NATO’s mutual defense provisions and risk triggering broader conflict in Europe.
Stansbury said a bipartisan, bicameral delegation of members of Congress traveled to Denmark this week to demonstrate congressional support for NATO and opposition to the president’s threats. Stansbury said she introduced a war powers resolution in the House related to these concerns and noted that multiple similar measures are pending in Congress.
Stansbury said some Republicans have indicated they would support impeaching the president if he were to invade Greenland, calling that development significant given prior reluctance within the Republican Party to challenge the administration.
On domestic policy, Stansbury said House Democrats successfully pressured the White House to reverse a proposed $2 billion cut to behavioral health and addiction recovery funding, which she said would have severely impacted New Mexico. She also discussed House passage of legislation extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, though the measure failed to advance in the Senate.
Stansbury concluded by noting she would spend the weekend participating in Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial events across Albuquerque, emphasizing the continued relevance of King’s teachings amid current political turmoil.
“The work is unfinished,” she said. “We keep showing up every day to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.”