A House Homeland Security hearing quickly became a magnet for explosive exchanges, complaints and divisive claims when DHS Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before Congress on Thursday.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle probed Noem at the House Homeland Security’s “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” hearing, raising topics on everything from Noem’s efforts to stop illegal immigration to the threat of weaponized domestic drones.
Although Noem had to exit the hearing ahead of schedule due to a meeting with FEMA, the hearings still led to plenty of notable moments.
The meeting got off to a heated start on Thursday when Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Noem to resign just minutes in, citing a long list of what he called violations of U.S. law.
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“Rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign,” Thompson said.
Thompson pointed to the administration’s efforts to deport illegals to El Salvador against the requirement of a court order, the withholding of federal grants to put pressure on American cities to assist with immigration enforcement efforts, and the detainment of American citizens as evidence of Noem’s wrongdoing.
Many of the instances Thompson pointed to are being adjudicated in court.
When asked about DHS’s efforts to monitor and deter potential drone-related security threats, Noem said the U.S. is behind the curve.
“Frankly, our authorities haven’t kept up with it,” Noem said.
Noem said DHS would begin new collaborations with state and local authorities through new enabling language contained in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“We are going to be investing upwards of $1.5 billion into drone technology and counter-drone technology and mitigation measures that we can deploy to partner with cities and states for celebrations and different things that they may hold as well,” Noem said.
Noem noted that drone threats are especially front of mind as the U.S. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics, among other public events.
“We’re working with the FAA as well to get what we need to be able to operate. And we don’t just want to detect; we don’t want to just monitor. We need to mitigate. We need to take these drones down,” Noem said.
One of the repeated concerns Democrats brought up on Thursday centered around whether the Trump administration is doing enough to make sure the right people are being deported.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., asked Noem to answer one such question.
“Madam Secretary, we are joined on Zoom by a gentleman named Sae Joon Park. He is a United States Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving our country in Panama in 1989,” Magaziner said.
Magaziner described how Park, a green card holder, had struggled with substance abuse in the years after his service. Park had accrued a drug possession charge and then failed to appear in court.
Fourteen years later, Park self-deported to Korea when he received a removal order earlier this year despite having received leniency in years past.
Confronted with Park’s story, Noem promised to review the details of what changed and why Park had been asked to leave the country, but added that “every one of [our laws] needs to be enforced.”
She thanked Park for his service.
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Moments after Sec. Noem started her opening remarks, a pair of protesters interrupted the DHS secretary, demanding that she suspend deportation efforts.
“End deportations!” yelled the protester, who was dressed like a priest and carrying a crucifix. “The power of Christ compels you!”
Two men with signs were escorted from the room. It is a federal crime to interrupt or delay a meeting of Congress.
Noem, unfazed by the outburst, continued with her opening statement.
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In response to several Democrat lawmakers who raised concerns about deportations, Noem said Congress had the power to change the picture if it wanted to.
“I think it’s shameful to see the defense of individuals who break our laws,” Noem said. “And that is what we are doing every day. If you guys don’t like the law, go change it. That’s your job. You don’t complain.”
According to figures released by the DHS on Wednesday, the United States has deported 2.5 million illegal immigrants under Noem’s leadership.
