Kristi Noem faces scrutiny over military veteran deportations amid Trump immigration enforcement

WASHINGTON, DC: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced a difficult session on Capitol Hill Thursday, December 11, as lawmakers pressed her on the department’s immigration policies.

Among the questions was whether military veterans had been deported under the Donald Trump administration’s immigration policies. When asked how many had been deported, she said, "Sir, we have not deported US Citizens or military veterans."

Many Democrats pressed Noem to step down at a tense Homeland Security Committee hearing. She defended her record, pointing to work against organized crime and cyber threats

House committee presses Kristi Noem on deportation of US veterans

Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) brought in Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart recipient who voluntarily left the US earlier this year under a removal order, to speak via Zoom.

Magaziner asked Noem how many military veterans had been deported. “Sir, we have not deported US citizens or military veterans,” she said.

Park, a US Army combat veteran who was wounded twice while serving in Panama in 1989, came to the US from South Korea when he was 7. In the 1990s, he struggled with drug addiction and faced minor arrests that hindered his ability to become a US citizen, according to NPR.

Magaziner asked Noem to recognize Park’s service. “Will you join me in thanking Mr Park for his service to our country?” he said. Noem replied, “Sir, I’m grateful for every single person who has served our country and follows our laws... every one of them needs to be enforced.”

When asked whether she would review Park’s case, Noem said she “will absolutely look at his case.” Noem defended her role in the administration’s mass deportation efforts, including approving the transfer of more than 130 Venezuelan men this year to a Salvadoran megaprison under the Alien Enemies Act, as per the Washington Post.

She answered lawmakers’ questions for roughly two hours before leaving the hearing early to attend a Federal Emergency Management Agency review council meeting.

Kristi  Noem faces calls to resign at House Homeland Security hearing

A House Homeland Security Committee hearing on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” began with Bennie Thompson demanding the resignation of Kristi Noem.

In his opening statement, Thompson sharply criticized Noem, saying, “You have systematically dismantled the Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the law. You are making America less safe.”

When Thaneda asked whether she would resign if not removed, Noem replied, “I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work.”