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By Peter Aitken and Gabe Whisnant
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Democrats pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday on alleged wrongful deportations against U.S. military veterans and their families, pointing to audience members they said had family members mistreated by the immigration system.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has been under intense scrutiny for its execution of policies on several national security fronts, from the detention and deportations of individuals with minor or no criminal records to the missile strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, which the administration alleges are tied to various cartels and criminal organizations.
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Noem has also faced criticism for how she has handled her tenure as the DHS secretary, including a drastic shift in U.S. disaster management policy that favors state-led responses over a centralized FEMA approach, with critics arguing that this process—requiring a signoff from DHS on contracts exceeding $100,000—causes undue and dangerous delays when responding to crises.
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What To Know
Noem appeared before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Thursday to testify about worldwide threats to the American homeland, responding to queries from lawmakers on a range of issues.
Lawmakers proceeded to raise a number of cases in which individuals who had served in the U.S. military and had (in some cases) minor offenses that prompted their deportation, sometimes even to countries of which they have barely any or no memory at all.
Noem said the department would review cases, including those raised by Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island, such as that of a combat veteran who appeared via video call after being deported to South Korea earlier this year. The veteran had been a Purple Heart recipient, according to Magaziner.
“You don’t seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys,” Magaziner told Noem.
Magaziner also raised the case of a soldier whose wife was locked up for four months when she "committed no crime other than writing a couple of bad checks for $80," to which Noem said: "It is not my job to pick or choose which laws get enforced."
The most stark example Magaziner showcased included an immigrant who raised three sons who went on to serve as U.S. Marines, and was recently detained "for weeks." ICE agents had detained him while he was mowing a lawn outside an IHOP, according to Magaziner.
"Every person in this country illegally has an opportunity to voluntarily go home and come back the right way," Noem said, to which Magaziner chastised her for not using her discretion to help him.
"He raised three United States Marines, he has been living here peacefully, doing his job for 30 years - you have discretion, you are choosing not use it," Magaziner said.
What People Are Saying
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, on Thursday, in response to calls for her resignation: "Truthfully, I consider your asking me to resign an ENDORSEMENT of my work.”
Representative Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island, a Democrat, during the hearing: "Madame Secretary, you promise America that you would go after the worst of the worst, but these people are not the worst of the worst: A Purple Heart recipient; a military spouse; the father of three Marines - and it's not just veterans and military families. You are locking up and deporting children with cancer, mothers with babies in the NICU, United States citizens. There are many problems with your leadership, and the biggest one is this: You don’t seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. Go after the bad guys. Go after terrorists."
Representative Delia C. Ramierez of Illinois, a Democrat, during the hearing: "Bottom line: you lie with impunity, you reject checks and balances, and you ignore Congress and the courts. Your options are limited: either you're going to resign, Trump’s going to fire you, or you will be impeached."
Update 12/11/25, 1:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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