{"id":16577,"date":"2025-12-11T19:16:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/noem-defiant-as-democrats-decry-trump-administration-treatment-of-migrants\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T19:16:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:16:46","slug":"noem-defiant-as-democrats-decry-trump-administration-treatment-of-migrants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/noem-defiant-as-democrats-decry-trump-administration-treatment-of-migrants\/","title":{"rendered":"Noem defiant as Democrats decry Trump administration treatment of migrants"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered an uncompromising defense of the administration\u2019s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement before lawmakers on Thursday, as questions swirl about her future in the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

In her opening remarks at the House Homeland Security Committee\u2019s 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\u2019s approach to immigration enforcement is working.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder President Trump\u2019s leadership, DHS is securing our borders, we\u2019re restoring the rule of law, and we\u2019re protecting the homeland,\u201d Noem said. \u201cWe have sent a strong message to criminal illegal aliens that we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, 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\u2019s deportation efforts and how DHS has managed federal disaster relief money.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ranking member Bennie Thompson<\/a> (D-Miss.) and other Democrats called on Noem to resign, arguing that her tenure has been marked by incompetence, corruption and other malfeasance.<\/p>\n

Democrats also noted it was only Noem\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever in the history of the committee has a secretary of Homeland Security hidden from congressional oversight like you and your department have, Secretary Noem,\u201d Thompson said at the start of the hearing.<\/p>\n

House Homeland Security Chair Andrew Garbarino<\/a> (R-N.Y.). also asked Noem to commit to providing more DHS officials to testify before the committee, which the secretary agreed to do.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

In a potential sign that Republicans see Noem\u2019s position as relatively secure, GOP lawmakers went soft on Noem, voicing general satisfaction with the administration\u2019s approach to immigration enforcement and homeland security broadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Garbarino said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease go back to your agencies and thank the men and women that are serving every day and helping to keep this country safe,\u201d said Rep. Tony Gonzalez<\/a> (R-Texas), who represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n

But Republicans did push Noem to help them conduct oversight of the department\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Democrats also confronted Noem with videos and specific cases that they claim demonstrate the excesses of the Trump administration\u2019s zero-tolerance policy toward unauthorized immigration.<\/p>\n

Rep. Seth Magaziner<\/a> (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\u2019s shoulder while the Rhode Island Democrat questioned Noem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people are not the worst of the worst,\u201d Magaziner said. \u201cYou don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noem pledged to review the individual cases brought up by Magaziner and Rep. Lou Correa<\/a> (D-Calif.), but reiterated the Trump administration\u2019s view that it cannot, and should not, make distinctions between the levels of criminal wrongdoing foreign nationals have committed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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,\u201d Noem said.<\/p>\n

Democrats scoffed at that idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have broad discretion as the secretary,\u201d Magaziner responded. \u201cYou can do all kinds of things. You\u2019re choosing not to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered an uncompromising defense of the administration\u2019s 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\u2019s annual threats hearing, Noem argued that the number of people who have left the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16577\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}