Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced fierce criticism from Democratic lawmakers on Thursday during a tense House Homeland Security Committee hearing, with several members calling on her to resign over the Trump administration’s sweeping and aggressive new immigration policies.
The annual hearing, typically focused on global threats, was consumed by debate over the administration’s increasingly hardline enforcement tactics. Lawmakers highlighted cases in which immigrants with no criminal history — and in some instances U.S. citizens — were mistakenly swept into enforcement operations.
December, 19, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., speaks as the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol meets Monday, Dec. 19, 2022 to vote on potential recommendations to the Justice Department to prosecute suspects for their roles. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the committee’s top Democrat, opened the hearing with a blunt demand: “Madam Secretary, you should resign.” He later pressed Noem on the department’s handling of the Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington. “Your DHS approved the asylum application,” he said.
Noem insisted repeatedly that the vetting took place during the Biden administration. The exchange grew heated when Thompson called the shooting an “unfortunate accident,” prompting Noem to respond, “It was a terrorist attack.” Thompson then referred to it as an “unfortunate situation.”
Later, Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan told Noem he was “sick of your lies” and asked whether she intended to step down. Noem responded coolly: “Sir, I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work.”
The confrontation unfolded as the Trump administration undertakes a broad series of immigration changes following the shooting involving Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who received asylum in April and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In the weeks since, officials have halted Afghan visa processing, paused asylum decisions, and initiated a review of more than 50,000 asylum applications approved during the Biden years.
The administration has also suspended immigration applications from nationals of the 19 countries covered by the president’s travel ban and announced plans to re-examine cases of migrants from those nations who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.
The changes have caused immediate fallout. Immigration attorneys report that clients have had naturalization ceremonies and green card interviews abruptly canceled, with little or no explanation from authorities. Advocates warn that the administrative freezes and policy shifts are creating confusion, uncertainty, and emotional turmoil for families awaiting long-planned adjudications.
The administration has also sharply reduced refugee admissions, slashing the annual cap to 7,500, a steep drop from the 125,000 ceiling established under Biden. Officials said priority would be given to mostly white Afrikaner South Africans — a decision that has drawn condemnation from refugee and human rights groups.
As the hearing closed, Democrats accused Noem of overseeing a system in crisis. Noem, for her part, defended the administration’s actions as necessary to secure the country and correct what she characterized as failures by her predecessors.
The department is expected to face further scrutiny as the policy shifts continue to ripple through communities nationwide.
