Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense scrutiny during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, defending her department’s immigration policies amid pointed questions from Democratic lawmakers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem forcefully defended her department’s immigration enforcement policies during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. The hearing, characterized by heated exchanges, focused on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) actions regarding immigration enforcement and Noem’s leadership, as Congress remains divided on fully funding the agency.
Democratic lawmakers directed sharp questions at Noem, particularly regarding the role of Corey Lewandowski, a special adviser for DHS. Representative Sydney Kalmager-Dove of California referenced a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that former President Donald Trump had rejected Lewandowski’s request to become Noem’s chief of staff due to allegations of a romantic relationship between the two. Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied these allegations.
Kalmager-Dove pressed Noem directly about the nature of her relationship with Lewandowski, questioning his qualifications for his role at DHS. “This person has no experience running anything close to the Department of Homeland Security,” she stated, emphasizing that Lewandowski’s tenure as a special government employee had exceeded the allowed 130-day period.
In response, Noem expressed her disbelief at the line of questioning. “Mr. Chairman, I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today,” she said, addressing House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan before turning back to Kalmager-Dove. “Ma’am, one thing that I would tell you is that he is a special government employee who works for the White House. There are thousands of them in the federal government.”
The hearing continued with Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland questioning Noem about Lewandowski’s involvement in DHS and the agency’s use of “luxury jets.” Raskin recounted a story about Lewandowski allegedly firing a pilot mid-flight after a personal item was left on a government jet. “Apparently, when your special blanket — your blankie — was left on one of the government jets and not transported over to the new one, your special government employee, Corey Lewandowski, chivalrously stepped forward to fire the pilot, mid-air,” Raskin said, highlighting what he described as an episode of entitlement and arrogance.
The exchanges were notably tense, partly due to the presence of Noem’s husband, who sat in the gallery throughout the hearing. Later, Representative Eric Swalwell of California confronted Noem regarding the deportation of Miguel Lopez, a migrant who had lived in the U.S. illegally for nearly 30 years before his removal last year. Swalwell shared his visit with Lopez in Mexico, noting the challenges Lopez faced after being away from his home country for so long.
Noem interjected, asking Swalwell if Lopez had a criminal record. Swalwell acknowledged that Lopez had pleaded guilty to a lesser nonviolent charge in 1995 but urged Noem to consider the emotional toll of the administration’s deportation policies. “The pain?” Noem replied. “And I wish people would do things correctly. If they’re not in legal status in this country, they can return home. We will pay for them to return home.” She added that she hoped Lopez had received the $2,600 he could have obtained by choosing to self-deport.
The sharpest exchange occurred when Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee questioned Noem about the Trump administration’s commitment to targeting “the worst of the worst” offenders in its removal efforts. Cohen asked her to define who constituted the “worst of the worst,” to which Noem responded, “The worst of the worst served. I think you’ve offended the families behind me today with that.”
Cohen clarified that he did not intend to offend anyone and criticized Noem for suggesting that he had. Noem, however, maintained her stance, arguing that critics were downplaying the consequences of illegal immigration. “I was commenting on the fact that the individuals aren’t violent offenders, and you keep talking about the fact that these individuals that are in this country illegally don’t harm families,” she said.
Cohen pointed out that undocumented immigrants are statistically less likely than U.S.-born individuals to commit crimes. In response, Noem gestured to the family members seated behind her, sharing stories of children lost to fentanyl overdoses and fatal accidents involving undocumented drivers. “The vast majority of these people behind me lost their children due to drugs, overdoses from drugs that came over the southern border,” she stated. “They died from their kids being hit, accidents on the roads that illegal drivers were driving.”
Cohen acknowledged the tragedies but argued that they did not address his broader point about the administration’s enforcement priorities. “All that’s true and given it’s true,” he said. “But you say you’re only going after the worst of the worst, and you’re not.”
The hearing underscored the ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policy and enforcement in the U.S., with Noem’s leadership at DHS facing significant scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers. The exchanges reflected deep divisions in Congress over how to address immigration issues and the broader implications of enforcement policies.
According to Fox News, the hearing highlighted the contentious atmosphere surrounding immigration enforcement and the challenges facing the DHS under Noem’s leadership.