Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refused to apologize for the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown on Thursday, telling a hostile House panel that the mass deportation agenda is necessary to secure a nation still vulnerable to unknown threats.
In her first appearance before Congress in months, Noem faced a chaotic scene. Protesters trailed her through the halls, shouting “Shame on you!” and Democrats demanded her resignation. Yet, flanked by Republican allies who urged her to “deport them all,” Noem made it clear she isn’t going anywhere.
“What keeps me up at night is that we don’t necessarily know all of the people that are in this country, who they are and what their intentions are,” Noem told the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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The hearing, nominally about “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,” quickly turned into a referendum on the administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics. Since President Donald Trump returned to office vowing to reshape U.S. immigration policy, detention numbers have surged, and vetting protocols have tightened significantly—moves Noem defended as vital national security measures.
“We will never yield. We will never waver,” she said, dismissing the attacks from across the aisle. “We’re ending illegal immigration, returning sanity to our immigration system.”
Heated Exchanges and Republican Support
The atmosphere in the hearing room was tense. Democratic lawmakers, led by Ranking Member Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, accused Noem of diverting taxpayer resources to fund an “extreme” agenda. Thompson, along with Rep. Delia Rodriguez (D-Ill.), went as far as calling for Noem’s resignation or impeachment, claiming she was “lying” about the focus on violent criminals.
Republicans, however, painted a different picture, praising the department’s renewed focus on law and order.
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“Deport them all,” said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), capturing the sentiment of the GOP panel members who see the administration’s actions as the fulfillment of an electoral mandate.
The divide was starkest when discussing specific incidents. When Thompson raised the case of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard troops, framing the entry program as an “unfortunate accident,” Noem fired back immediately.
“Unfortunate accident?” she retorted. “Terrorist attack.”
She placed the blame on the vetting failures of Operation Allies Welcome, a program created following the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
New Threats Identified
While immigration dominated the headlines, the hearing also shed light on other domestic threats. With FBI Director Kash Patel absent, the bureau was represented by Michael Glasheen, operations director of the national security branch.
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Glasheen identified “antifa” as the “most immediate violent threat” facing the country, aligning with President Trump’s recent executive order designating the group as a domestic terror organization. When pressed by Democrats for specifics on the group’s membership and headquarters, Glasheen described the situation as “fluid” with “ongoing” investigations.
Funding the Mission
The clashes come as Noem’s department prepares to deploy roughly $165 billion in new funding approved by Congress in July. The war chest is designated for hiring 10,000 new deportation officers, completing the border wall, and ramping up removal operations.
Noem left the hearing early for a scheduled meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency review council, though reports later indicated the meeting was canceled. As she exited, the secretary ignored the jeers of protesters, maintaining the defiant posture that has defined her tenure at the helm of Trump’s border agenda.
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