Kristi Noem Faces Scrutiny Over Immigration Policies in Congress

During a recent congressional hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense scrutiny from House Democrats regarding the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. Representative Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island presented a compelling case involving Sae Joon Park, a U.S.

Army veteran who self-deported to South Korea after being issued a removal order related to past drug possession charges. Magaziner challenged Noem's assertion that no veterans had been deported, highlighting that Park, a green card holder and Purple Heart recipient, had been detained and placed on a deportation list.

Noem defended her department's actions, insisting they were enforcing existing laws and urged lawmakers to change the law if they disagreed with the outcomes. The hearing also featured sharp exchanges between Noem and Democrats, including Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, who accused her of misusing homeland security grants and failing to protect citizens.

Thompson called for her resignation and claimed Noem's agency had illegally detained U.S. citizens, including a child recovering from cancer. Noem's abrupt departure from the hearing, supposedly to attend a FEMA meeting that was later revealed to be canceled, added further controversy.

In response to accusations of targeting non-criminal immigrants, Noem maintained that her agency was prioritizing threats to American safety, despite evidence presented by Democrats indicating otherwise, including statistics that a significant percentage of detainees had no criminal records.