Washington: US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced a blistering attack from Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, as the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown came under intense scrutiny.
The hearing marked Noem’s first appearance before Congress since the fatal shooting of two American citizens by immigration agents during protests in Minnesota, an incident that has inflamed tensions over the administration’s enforcement tactics.
Democrats: ‘Devoid of Moral Compass’
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) set the tone for the Democratic offensive, delivering a sharp rebuke of the department’s conduct.
“Under your leadership, the Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” Durbin told Noem.
He described federal agents as operating with impunity, stating, “DHS agents have wreaked havoc in our cities. They roam the streets in paramilitary gear and arrest and detain people based on the color of their skin, their accents and the language they speak.”
Durbin specifically highlighted the recent deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, accusing Noem of leveling “baseless accusations of domestic terrorism” against the deceased.
Noem’s Defense
Noem expressed condolences to the families over the “tragic” deaths but stood by her initial characterization of the incident.
“I said it appeared to be an incident of domestic terrorism,” she clarified, drawing a distinction between labeling the individuals and describing the event.
As the chief enforcer of President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport millions of undocumented migrants, Noem defended her department’s record with statistics.
“Our department has delivered historic results and has made our community safer since the start of President Trump’s second term,” she asserted, pointing to “nearly three million illegal aliens” removed from the United States in the past year and border crossings plummeting to “historic lows.”
Republican Support
Republicans on the committee rallied to Noem’s defense. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) praised the enforcement actions, arguing the Trump administration inherited an impossible situation from the previous administration.
“Millions and millions of people came into this country,” Graham said. “Sensible immigration died on Biden’s watch. It was replaced by an out-of-control open border, just absolute chaos.”
Constitutional Concerns
However, Democratic Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) leveled a more fundamental accusation, claiming DHS was acting unconstitutionally to meet White House demands for “higher and higher numbers for deportations.”
“It’s why we have roving patrols, racially profiling whomever they see and creating a ‘show me your paper state,'” Coons argued. “It’s why you go into sensitive locations like churches and hospitals and schools. It’s why you have been arresting children, the elderly, refugees, the disabled.”
Noem flatly denied the existence of any quota system.
“There are no quotas at the Department of Homeland Security,” she said. “When we do law enforcement operations we do them on targeted enforcement, getting public safety threats off of our streets and out of our communities to protect the American people.”
