At today's Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) questioned DHS Sec. Kristi Noem.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Chairman. Thank you for being here. You know, Michigan's a border state, so we need each other.
00:06We have a very big bridge that's being inaugurated, ribbon-cut in September. We need that to be fully staffed.
00:15We have a lot going on in Michigan as a northern border state, so we need each other.
00:19But what I'm concerned about is that you've taken the mandate to close off the border.
00:28Beyond going after, as you say, the, quote, most dangerous illegal immigrants.
00:35I'm a CIA officer. I work my entire life to protect the homeland. If someone's here illegally, they need to not be here.
00:41They've committed a crime. By being here, they need to go back to wherever they're from.
00:44But my concern is that either through sloppiness or intent, you have gone far beyond going after the, quote, most dangerous illegal immigrants
00:54and gone into legal immigrants, who were given the ability to be here, and even American citizens.
01:02And when I think about that, you know, there are lots of people in this country, including me, who have families who fled this kind of environment
01:14where they have no rights, where they have no due process, where they don't have habeas corpus.
01:21So while I'll be the first to say, coming from a state that was won by Trump, that there is a mandate to do something about the border,
01:29I think it is absolute dangerous overreach to go beyond that and start picking up American citizens
01:36and people who have the legal right to be here, lawful immigrants who have done everything right.
01:41So first and foremost, do you acknowledge that your department has made some mistakes, any mistakes,
01:47in going after either American citizens or legal immigrants here in the time that you've been in office?
01:55We have not deported any U.S. citizens.
01:58Detained?
01:59Or people get interviewed. If they get interviewed and they go through that process
02:03and if we find that they're U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, they stay in the United States.
02:07We have to go through the vetting process.
02:09Have any American citizens, including children, been deported during your time in office?
02:15We have children that mothers have chosen to keep with them.
02:18By my count, you have ten American citizens, including children with cancer, who have been deported out of the country.
02:24I understand you're saying it's their choice.
02:26It's hard to imagine a small child having a choice.
02:30But have you gone after legal immigrants?
02:34Again, your standard in your opening statement was the most dangerous illegal immigrants.
02:38Does that include Ph.D. students and master's students at colleges across the country unarmed?
02:43Are they the most dangerous illegal when they have status and no weapons?
02:47I don't decide who gets status through a student program.
02:50The Department of State decides that and we enforce it.
02:53Oh, come on.
02:54That's what our Department of Homeland Security does.
02:55I just would offer that, again, I have no qualms with going after folks who are here illegally.
03:02That is not my concern.
03:03I prevented, that was part of my job, was to prevent people from coming here illegally in a former life.
03:08My concern is you're sending a chill down the spine of America by going after people who either have legal status or American citizens.
03:17And when my colleagues ask you about habeas corpus and you say literally, we can review the tape, that you believe it's a right the president has.
03:27You sat here in front of all of us and swore an oath to the Constitution.
03:31And that is not at all what habeas corpus is.
03:35It is a right that we all get, that American citizens get, that people who are in the United States legally have.
03:41So my concern is it's complete overreach.
03:45I don't think American citizens, even those who voted for Trump, believe that you should be able to just grab someone off the street, sloppy, who has the legal right to be here, and certainly an American citizen.
03:55And I just am concerned that while you say you're going after the most dangerous folks, what you're actually doing is going after folks for political reasons.
04:05Right?
04:06Absolutely not.
04:07A PhD student that's on arm is not at the top of the list.
04:09We are absolutely not doing that.
04:10And we're not deporting U.S. citizens and we're not deporting people who have legal status here.
04:14Well, ten of them have been deported.
04:15Ten American citizens have been deported.
04:16If the children have been gone with their parents, it's because their parents wanted them with it.
04:18So let me ask you another question about cybersecurity.
04:20You know, you've cut $500 million from the budget.
04:23What specific programs are you cutting?
04:26Because there are programs that really aid states and locals, that we depend on for cybersecurity.
04:33And we know that right now, while we may have good security in the federal government, if you are a local state official, you're depending on the federal government.
04:43So have you cut the ISAC program, the program to states and locals on cybersecurity?
04:48The president's recommended budget has a reduction in $491 million.
04:52Does it cut that program?
04:53I've heard the talking point.
04:54And what it's doing is putting CISA back on mission.
04:56And it's ensuring that cybersecurity is going to be strengthened.
05:00You cannot say it's the most cybersecurity administration if you're cutting the program to my state and to your state.
05:06And if you look on record, that's what you've cut.
05:08I yield back.
05:09Time has expired.
05:11Senator Hawley.
05:12Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
05:14Secretary Noem, good to see you.