Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered an uncompromising defense of the administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement before lawmakers on Thursday, as questions swirl about her future in the Trump administration.
In her opening remarks at the House Homeland Security Committee’s annual threats hearing, Noem argued that the number of people who have left the United States voluntarily since President Donald Trump took office shows that the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement is working.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, DHS is securing our borders, we’re restoring the rule of law, and we’re protecting the homeland,” Noem said. “We have sent a strong message to criminal illegal aliens that we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”
In the face of criticism from Democrats about alleged misconduct on the part of U.S. immigration officers, Noem also defended the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, arguing that Democrats were unfairly villainizing immigration officials and contributing to violence against them and their families.
The hearing, an annual occasion which sees Homeland Security secretaries and FBI and NCTC directors testify before congressional committees about the threats the country faces, came at a particularly precarious moment for Noem. While Trump reiterated confidence in Noem on Wednesday, Trump allies have floated the names of several potential replacements as frustrations have boiled over in recent months with how DHS has spent money intended to boost the government’s deportation efforts and how DHS has managed federal disaster relief money.
Democrats took advantage of the rare appearance by Noem on Capitol Hill to re-up allegations that Noem gave a $220 million contract to a firm tied to the spouse of DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and argue that immigration enforcement officers have violated the civil rights and due process of unauthorized immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
Ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and other Democrats called on Noem to resign, arguing that her tenure has been marked by incompetence, corruption and other malfeasance.
Democrats also noted it was only Noem’s second appearance before the House committee and one of the few times a DHS official had testified before the committee, as they slammed DHS for a lack of transparency with Congress. Thompson claimed that it had been very difficult to secure DHS officials as witnesses for hearings.
“Never in the history of the committee has a secretary of Homeland Security hidden from congressional oversight like you and your department have, Secretary Noem,” Thompson said at the start of the hearing.
House Homeland Security Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.). also asked Noem to commit to providing more DHS officials to testify before the committee, which the secretary agreed to do.
Noem received most of the questions from Democrats and Republicans at the hearing, which also included fellow witnesses Michael Glasheen, the operations director of the FBI’s national security branch, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent. The two faced more questions once Noem left the hearing early to helm a FEMA-related meeting.
In a potential sign that Republicans see Noem’s position as relatively secure, GOP lawmakers went soft on Noem, voicing general satisfaction with the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement and homeland security broadly.
“The border is secure, the flow of drugs is slowing, and violent criminals are being taken off the streets. America is once again a symbol of global strength,” Garbarino said.
“Please go back to your agencies and thank the men and women that are serving every day and helping to keep this country safe,” said Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas), who represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border.
But Republicans did push Noem to help them conduct oversight of the department’s work. New York lawmakers from both parties asked Noem to explain why DHS decided to cut counterterrorism grants to the Empire State. Trump reversed that decision following advocacy from New York lawmakers.
Democrats also confronted Noem with videos and specific cases that they claim demonstrate the excesses of the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy toward unauthorized immigration.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) pointed to a case where a Korean-born U.S. Marine who served in the U.S. invasion of Panama was deported to Korea earlier this year over drug possession charges from the 1990s. His staffer had the Marine join the hearing via Zoom and held up the livestream with the Marine over Magaziner’s shoulder while the Rhode Island Democrat questioned Noem.
“These people are not the worst of the worst,” Magaziner said. “You don’t seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Go after the bad guys. Go after the terrorists. Do not go after veterans, Marines, children, United States citizens.”
Noem pledged to review the individual cases brought up by Magaziner and Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), but reiterated the Trump administration’s view that it cannot, and should not, make distinctions between the levels of criminal wrongdoing foreign nationals have committed.
“It is not my prerogative, my latitude, or my job to pick and choose which laws in this country and in which broad discretion of the secretary used to follow you can issue,” Noem said.
Democrats scoffed at that idea.
“You have broad discretion as the secretary,” Magaziner responded. “You can do all kinds of things. You’re choosing not to.”
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