Veronica Escobar Asks Sec. Kristi Noem Point Blank If She Will Deport US Citizens As Trump Suggested

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At a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) asked Sec. Kristi Noem if she would deport US citizens.

Transcript

00:00The gentlelady from Texas, the floor is yours for questions.

00:03Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Madam Ranking Member.

00:06Secretary Noem, thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

00:09I represent, I'm proud to represent my border community of El Paso, Texas.

00:15Born and raised there, third generation border resident.

00:18My kids are fourth generation.

00:20I have a lot of questions, and I've structured them in a way that they should be simple yes or no.

00:26So I'm going to ask that you please respond as simply as possible so I can get through as many of my questions as possible.

00:35My first question is, when the Department of Homeland Security makes a mistake,

00:41will you assure this committee in Congress that DHS, that you will acknowledge that mistake,

00:48take accountability for it, and rectify it, most importantly?

00:53Yes.

00:54And I'll follow back up with that question.

00:58I want to first, one of the first topics I want to talk about is what Donald Trump,

01:04President Trump said recently, homegrowns are next.

01:08And I'd like to enter into the record an NPR story.

01:12Homegrowns are next.

01:13Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad.

01:16I was happy to hear your acknowledgement that that is not legal.

01:21But I am curious about the reconciliation bill and the appropriations requests that you will make.

01:29Will any of the funding, either through appropriations or through reconciliation,

01:34be used to execute this policy idea of Donald Trump's, which is deporting U.S. citizens abroad?

01:43We have not deported any U.S. citizens.

01:46And so that false media narrative that you've heard out there just simply isn't true.

01:51What I would say-

01:52So my question, yes or no, will the reconciliation or appropriations be used for that?

01:58Reconciliation dollars that we've asked for is $175 billion that will be focused and is reflected-

02:05Yes or no, will it be used for those purposes, which Donald Trump acknowledged is a policy-

02:10We're going to continue to use the authorities and follow the Constitution to implement policies-

02:15All right, reclaiming my time.

02:17I'd like to now focus on U.S. citizens who were deported.

02:21In fact, three children so far, likely more children, one of those children with cancer who was deported

02:31without the medication necessary to address that child's cancer, again, a U.S. citizen.

02:39The lawyers have said that they were not given-

02:42The family was not given an opportunity to make plans for the kids.

02:48And so they were deported, essentially, again, U.S. citizens.

02:54I have a question about the forms that ICE is supposed to utilize when engaging with parents

03:04who have children, the parents who are being deported and the U.S. citizen children.

03:09One of those forms is ICE Form 71-078, or the Caregiver Designation at Arrest Form.

03:19Were any of the individuals who were deported, who had U.S. citizen children deported with them,

03:26were they given an opportunity to sign that form?

03:29When these, the specific cases that you're referencing with these children, it was the parents' choice to take their children.

03:35And did ICE follow through on the policy?

03:38Which it is the policy of the Trump administration to keep families together.

03:40Did, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am reclaiming my time.

03:43I told you at the top of this, ma'am, ma'am reclaiming my time.

03:48I said that the questions are really simple, yes or no.

03:51Were these, was that form used in any of those cases?

03:54I will get back to you on that specific form.

03:57I don't know the number, but I do know these mothers were on the record filling out paperwork.

04:00The second form, ma'am reclaiming my time.

04:03Ma'am, please, ma'am reclaiming my time.

04:07I'd like you to avoid the filibuster so I can get to all my questions, please.

04:11Answering your questions.

04:11So the second ICE form that I'd like to ask you about is ICE Form 71-76,

04:18which is also, it's pre-removal parental interests election form.

04:26Can you get back to me on that?

04:27Were all of the parents allowed to sign that?

04:31Are the parents allowed to speak to lawyers before they're deported

04:34or to speak to their U.S. citizen spouses before they're deported?

04:38They are given the opportunity.

04:40Okay, so you can guarantee that every one of those parents.

04:44We followed all the normal policies and procedures.

04:47So they were allowed to talk to a lawyer?

04:50That's a yes?

04:51As it is authorized.

04:52Is that a yes?

04:53That's a yes?

04:53Everything was handled appropriately and correctly.

04:55Did they all get to talk to a lawyer?

04:57Okay, reclaiming my time.

04:59Under the policy.

05:00Mr. Chairman, unfortunately, I'm out of time.

05:02I have a number of other questions we'll get to in the next round.

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