Southwest Washington’s Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has expanded her criticism of federal immigration enforcement after condemning a deadly ICE shooting in Minnesota earlier this month. Her latest statements, which include an explicit call for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, mark a sharpening of tone that contrasts sharply with her recent votes to fund the same agency.

Her remarks come amid growing national protests against ICE operations, including demonstrations across Minneapolis and Saint Paul where state authorities have gone so far as to sue the federal government to halt what they call an “unauthorized surge” of enforcement activity (City of Minneapolis). The Minnesota backlash has resonated in Cowlitz County, where immigration enforcement has become a lightning rod for broader questions about government accountability and community safety.

Locally, those tensions have been mounting for months. In early December 2025, residents across Longview and Kelso participated in coordinated “ICE OUT” protests organized by the civic group Cascade Forward, drawing dozens to intersections throughout the cities (Cascade Forward). The demonstrations followed outrage over the January killing of Vancouver resident Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents — an event that became a catalyst for sustained calls for reform.

Constituents and activists have argued that Gluesenkamp Perez’s earlier reluctance to condemn ICE’s local role reflected a wider tendency among federal Democrats to maintain funding streams while deflecting responsibility. Her new position, blending condemnation of leadership with continued support for the agency’s existence, encapsulates that tension — and has left both establishment figures and grassroots campaigners dissatisfied for different reasons.

As the congresswoman attempts to rebuild trust in her home district, community organizers say they’re watching her next moves carefully. “Words are welcome, but what we need is policy,” one Kelso participant in December’s protests told Columbia Countercurrent. For many residents, restoring accountability at the Department of Homeland Security means confronting not only misconduct in distant states, but also ICE’s footprint right here in Southwest Washington.

Whether Gluesenkamp Perez’s latest statements signal a genuine pivot or another balancing act could determine how much support she retains among the working-class, immigrant, and activist communities that originally powered her upset victory in 2022.