Noem proven wrong about deporting U.S. veterans at House hearing
Seconds Kristi Noem was proven wrong in deporting veterans at House Homeland Security hearings.
WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was gunned down at the U.S. Capitol as she faced questions related to the department’s immigration efforts, including whether veterans were deported under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, invited Se-joon Park, a Purple Heart recipient who was voluntarily deported under a removal order earlier this year, to participate in a House Homeland Security Committee hearing via Zoom video call. In the five minutes allotted for questions to Noem, Magaziner asked the secretary how many veterans had been deported.
“Sir, we are not deporting American citizens or veterans,” Noem responded.
Magazine Jar went on to profile Park, a U.S. Army veteran who was shot twice while serving in Panama in 1989. Park came to the United States from South Korea at the age of 7. In the 1990s, Park suffered from drug addiction and was arrested for minor drug offenses, the magazine reported.
Park, who has battled a crack cocaine addiction, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping, according to NPR. As a green card holder, these charges hurt his chances of naturalization, the newspaper reported.
“Would you like to join us in thanking Park for her contributions to the country?” Magaziner asked Nomu, holding a tablet next to the head of the lawmaker who had made a video call to Park.
“Sir, I thank all the people who serve our country, who follow our laws, who know that our laws matter and that they all need to be enforced,” Noem responded.
When asked if Nom would consider Park’s lawsuit, the secretary said, “We will definitely consider his lawsuit.”
Throughout the hearing, Democrats criticized Noem and the department’s immigration enforcement efforts, including the secretary’s decision to continue deportation flights to El Salvador despite a court order halting them earlier this year. Protesters interrupted her opening remarks, chanting, “Stop the raids on ICE,” “Stop the deportations,” and “Get ICE out of our streets.” Noem left the hearing early to attend a later canceled FEMA Review Advisory Committee meeting, but was met by more protesters outside the hearing room.
Noem’s tenure in the Trump administration has been called into question following the MS NOW report, with White House officials saying he is on “very thin ice” and could be replaced as early as January. President Donald Trump said on December 10 that he was “pleased” with Nomu and said she was “amazing.”
“Our border is the best border in the history of this country. How could I be unhappy?” Trump told reporters during a White House roundtable with business leaders.
Noem remained defiant throughout the hearing, as Democrats denounced her as a liar and Republicans praised her work.
“America is very happy that we finally have a president in the White House who is going to get up every day and keep us safe,” Noem said at the hearing.
Several Democrats, including Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Mississippi), ranking chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called on Noem to resign.
Asked by Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) if she would resign if not fired, Noem said, “I would consider asking me to resign as an endorsement of my job.”
