Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem got here underneath fireplace from Home Democrats whereas testifying earlier than the Home Homeland Safety Committee on her division’s 2026 price range on Wednesday.
The listening to rapidly turned to immigration and featured back-and-forths with Democrats on the committee, with rating member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., telling Noem that underneath her management, it’s a “unhappy day for DHS.”
“Frankly, I’ve by no means seen something like this that served as a lead Democrat on this committee. Even when, madam secretary, my Republican colleagues and I had robust disagreements, we nonetheless have productive conversations and did our obligation preserve America secure. However that is not the case any longer,” Thompson informed Noem, including that he’s glad that Noem “discovered time amongst your many picture ops and costume adjustments to testify.”
“In your watch, the division is breaking the regulation, it is hurting individuals, and it is making America much less secure,” he added. “The Trump administration is outright mendacity to the courts and the American individuals.”
Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem speaks throughout a listening to with the Home Homeland Safety Committee on Capitol Hill on Could 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Pictures
Noem was requested about what occurred last week in New Jersey as three members of Congress tried to realize entry to Delany Corridor, a personal detention middle that’s holding ICE detainees, and testified that it was “lawless.” The incident exterior the detention middle resulted in a melee and ended with the Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat who can also be working for New Jersey governor, getting arrested.
“We’ve got footage of these members of Congress slamming their our bodies into our regulation enforcement officers, shoving them screaming profanities of their faces, hanging them with their fists and in any other case assaulting regulation enforcement,” Noem testified. “The conduct was lawlessness, and it was beneath this physique. Members of Congress mustn’t break into detention facilities or federal services. Had these members requested a tour, we definitely would have facilitated a tour.”
Delany Corridor falls underneath the purview of the Division of Homeland Safety and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the members of Congress argued they’d a proper to conduct lawful “oversight” on the power via their congressional duties.
“They have been cooperating with criminals to create legal acts. This wasn’t oversight. This was committing felonies,” Noem mentioned earlier this week on Fox Information. “This was going out and attacking individuals who arise for the rule of regulation, and it was completely horrible.”
Later within the listening to, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., slammed Noem for what he mentioned was a scarcity of entry to authorized counsel.
“You might be deporting youngsters with most cancers, youngsters who’re U.S. residents, a homosexual make-up artist who dedicated no crime and did not even enter the nation illegally,” Magaziner informed Noem. “As an alternative of specializing in actual criminals, you’ve gotten allowed harmless youngsters to be deported whilst you fly across the nation taking part in dress-up for the cameras.”
In the meantime, Noem and Home Republicans highlighted what she referred to as “complete operational management” of the southern border. Noem mentioned she would not know what number of immigrants missing authorized standing to be within the U.S. have been launched into the nation in the course of the Biden administration and touted that the Trump administration has targeted on fixing the border disaster.
“We really haven’t any concept what number of harmful people are nonetheless in the USA of America. Since President Trump has been in workplace, simply in these few brief months, we’ve got deported over 250 identified terrorists in a foreign country,” she mentioned.
Committee rating member Consultant Bennie Thompson speaks throughout a Home Committee on Homeland Safety listening to with testimony from Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem on fiscal yr 2026 price range requests, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Could 14, 2025.
Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Pictures
Noem was additionally pressed on whether or not everybody ICE has arrested has acquired due course of — and she or he answered sure, via the instruments that Congress has given it, arguing that expedited removing is a software that Congress has allowed.
Later within the listening to, the DHS chief was requested about suspending habeas corpus, which ensures persons are not unjustly detained or imprisoned, and whether or not it falls underneath the constitutional pointers {that a} president can droop it.
“I am not a constitutional lawyer, however I consider it does,” Noem mentioned, including that it’s not her authority to take action. “Effectively, that is one thing that is not in my purview to weigh in on. That is the president’s prerogative, and he has not indicated that they may or won’t be taking motion.”
Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of workers, has floated this concept.
Sparking a contentious back-and-forth, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., confirmed Noem an image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s hand that appeared to have the letters MS-13 on his arms to characterize what the tattoos imply.
Noem wouldn’t reply the query as as to if the picture was edited or manipulated to place the letters on his knuckles, and she or he appeared to keep away from analyzing the picture.
“You will not have a look at the picture, and we won’t be bringing was it doctored or not in staying right here, and also you look to your proper, the picture in entrance of madam secretary,” Swalwell mentioned. “Are you able to look to the precise on the picture in entrance of you?”
“And the letters MS and the numbers 13 — are these doctored or not?” he requested.
“I haven’t got any data as to this picture,” she mentioned, including it’s “unbelievable” that Swalwell wished to deal with Abrego Garcia.
