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Noem Defends Policies at House Hearing 12/12 06:08
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defiantly
defended the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies on Thursday
during a House committee hearing, portraying migrants as a major threat faced
by the nation that justifies a crackdown that has seen widespread arrests,
deportations and a dizzying pace of restrictions on foreigners.
Noem, who heads the agency central to President Donald Trump's approach to
immigration, received backup from Republicans on the panel but faced fierce
questioning from Democrats -- including many who called for her resignation
over the mass deportation agenda.
The secretary's testimony was immediately interrupted by protesters shouting
for her to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and "end
deportations." They trailed her down the halls as she left early for another
engagement, chanting, "Shame on you!"
But she vowed she "would not back down."
"What keeps me up at night is that we don't necessarily know all of the
people that are in this country, who they are and what their intentions are,"
Noem said.
The hearing was Noem's first public appearance before Congress in months,
testifying at the House Committee on Homeland Security on "Worldwide Threats to
the Homeland," and it quickly grew heated as she emphasized how big a role she
believed immigration played in those threats. It focused heavily on the Trump
administration's immigration policies, whereas in years past the hearing has
centered on issues such as cybersecurity, terrorism, China and border security.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel's ranking Democrat, said Noem has diverted
vast taxpayer resources to carry out Trump's "extreme" immigration agenda and
failed to provide basic responses as Congress conducts its oversight.
"I call on you to resign," the Mississippi congressman said. "Do a real
service to the country."
Trump returned to power with what the president says is a mandate to reshape
immigration in the U.S. In the months since, the number of people in
immigration detention has skyrocketed; the administration has continued to
remove migrants to countries they are not from; and, in the wake of an Afghan
national being accused of shooting two National Guard troops, Noem's department
has dramatically stepped up checks and screening of immigrants in the U.S.
Tough questions from Democrats
Several Democrats repeatedly told Noem flatly that she was "lying" to them
and to the public over claims they are focused on violent criminals. They
presented cases of U.S. citizens being detained in immigration operations and
families of American military veterans being torn apart by deportations of
loved ones who have not committed serious crimes or other violations.
"You lie with impunity," said Rep. Delia Rodriguez, D-Ill., who said Noem
should resign or be impeached.
Republicans largely thanked Noem for the work the department is doing to
keep the country safe and urged her to carry on.
"Deport them all," said Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.
Since Noem's last Congressional appearance in May, immigration enforcement
operations, especially in Los Angeles and Chicago, have become increasingly
contentious, with federal agents and activists frequently clashing over her
department's tactics.
Noem did not address the calls to resign, but she tangled with the
Democratic lawmakers -- interrupting some -- and suggested that she and the
department she leads weren't going anywhere.
"We will never yield. We will never waver," she said.
Noem, whose own family, including an infant granddaughter, was in the
audience, praised the Trump administration's efforts when it comes to
immigration, saying, "We're ending illegal immigration, returning sanity to our
immigration system."
During the hearing, a federal judge ordered the government to free Kilmar
Abrego Garcia, whose wrongful deportation to a notorious prison in El Salvador
made him a flashpoint in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
Noem did not address the judge's order, nor was she asked about it during the
hearing.
Noem left early, saying she was headed to a meeting of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency review council. The meeting, however, was abruptly canceled
with no reason given.
Noem and her department are under scrutiny
The worldwide threats hearing, usually held annually, is an opportunity for
members of Congress to question the leaders of the Department of Homeland
Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center.
FBI Director Kash Patel did not appear, but sent Michael Glasheen,
operations director of the national security branch of the FBI.
Glasheen said the nation faces "serious and evolving" threats, and pointed
to so-called antifa, and Trump's executive order designating the group as a
domestic terror organization, as the "most immediate violent threat" facing the
country.
Pressed by Thompson for details -- where is antifa headquartered? How many
members does it have? -- the FBI's representative appeared unable to provide
answers, saying it's "fluid" and investigations are "ongoing."
And, notably, he did not identify immigration as among the most pressing
concerns for the homeland.
Asked about the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, Noem
linked it to the Trump administration's antidrug campaign in the region, saying
cocaine had been kept from entering the U.S. as a result.
The hearing offered lawmakers a rare opportunity to hear directly from Noem,
but many members of the panel used the bulk of their allotted time to either
praise or lambast her handling of immigration enforcement.
During one sharp exchange, the secretary levied broad criticism for the
program through which the man suspected of shooting two National Guard members
last month came to the United States.
"Unfortunate accident?" Noem retorted after Thompson raised the issue. She
called it a "terrorist attack."
The program, Operation Allies Welcome, was created by then-President Joe
Biden's Democratic administration after the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan
following 20 years of American intervention and billions of dollars in aid.
Thompson pointed out that the Trump administration approved the asylum claim of
the suspect in the National Guard attack.
Noem's department is under particular scrutiny because Congress in July
passed legislation giving it roughly $165 billion to carry out its mass
deportations agenda and secure the border. The department is getting more money
to hire 10,000 more deportation officers, complete the wall between the U.S.
and Mexico and increase detention and removal of foreigners from the country.
The secretary's appearance also comes as a federal judge is investigating
whether she should face a contempt charge over flights carrying migrants to El
Salvador.
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