Congress
Noem defiant as Democrats decry Trump administration treatment of migrants
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.”
President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson will meet at the White House Tuesday with the executives of top artificial intelligence companies, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private plans.
The meeting comes as Congress is coming under increasing pressure to put federal guardrails on AI development, as fears mount that technological advancements could soon spiral beyond human control.
Responding to some warnings that AI development was on track to cause human extinction by the end of the decade, Johnson has said he wants Trump and AI CEOs to “go in a big room, close the door and sort this out.” He has yet to endorse major legislative action to address the issue, as Trump has resisted calls for government regulations, citing concerns about lagging behind China.
The president and speaker were in attendance at the State Dinner on Thursday night in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, as were OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. It was not immediately clear which of these executives would be invited to next week’s meeting, and who will be participating.
News that the meeting had been scheduled was first reported by Axios.
A group of 10 Democrats has signed on to Rep. Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) bill that would ban superintelligence and pause advanced AI development until a vetting regime could be stood up.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), both of whom are mulling a 2028 presidential run, are cosponsoring the bill, named the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act.
Khanna, in a statement, noted that he convened a hearing this week on AI safety cooperation between the U.S. and China as ranking member of the House China Select Committee with AI experts who underscored the need for a verifiable pause on superintelligence.
AI superintelligence is an as-yet hypothetical form of the advanced technology that surpasses humans’ cognitive capabilities, but exactly when AI crosses the threshold into superintelligence remains contested. The bill would subject violators to a 20-year prison sentence.
The support from prominent progressives in the Democratic caucus comes as the party is navigating how they would approach AI regulation should they retake control of one or both chambers in November.
Other cosponsors include Reps. Analilia Mejia of New Jersey, Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, Val Hoyle of Oregon, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, Chuy García of Illinois, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Nydia Velázquez of New York.
“We absolutely have to slow down and regulate the advancement of dangerous AI technologies that have the potential to spiral out-of-control and threaten humanity,” Ansari said.
To Lynch, a string of recent AI-led cyberbreaches has “shown us that the advanced forms of this are out of control,” he said in an interview. “We haven’t really solved that control problem yet, nor have we got the alignment problem right yet.”
Casar’s bill, introduced this week with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is among the most stringent AI regulations proposed by either party.
Rather than focusing on bans as Casar and his progressive allies have done, centrist Democrats are looking to legislative proposals they say can address the technology’s risks without stifling innovation.
Senate Republicans are discussing whether to call up a data center utility costs bill as they make plans to stay in Washington next week rather than beat an early exit before the midterms.
Two GOP aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the Senate will remain in town amid pressure from some corners of the party to send members home early to campaign.
Asked if the Senate will stay next week, Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday it’s “looking that way.”
While some lawmakers had hoped to move a long-brewing bipartisan energy permitting deal, those hopes have evaporated, and GOP leaders are instead eyeing votes on the Ratepayer Protection Act — a top priority of endangered Ohio Sen. Jon Husted.
Thune said Thursday moving to the data-center-focused bill next week “is an option.” The Senate is also expected to take up a Democratic resolution condemning the Iran war and several presidential nominations.
The Ratepayer Protection Act easily passed the House earlier this month, but some Senate Democrats are arguing it does not go far enough and party leaders could be motivated to deny Husted a pre-election win.
Josh Siegel contributed to this report.
-
Politics2 years agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
Uncategorized2 years ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
The Josh Fourrier Show2 years agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
Politics2 years agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
Politics2 years agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words