WASHINGTON — As she implements President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem assured members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Friday that she will be watchful, proactive, and creative to defend the homeland.
The difficulties we face are enormous, and we need to protect our borders against immigration and illegal trafficking. Trump’s choice for DHS secretary, Noem, stated in her introductory remarks. Republicans have criticized a mobile app that migrants use to schedule appointments with asylum authorities to present their claims, which she said she will remove.
One of the final hearings prior to Monday’s Inauguration Day was Noem’s nomination hearing. Except for the hearing for Fox News celebrity Pete Hegseth, the nominee for defense secretary, most were subdued. In the GOP-controlled Senate, the majority of nominees were headed for simple confirmations.
Senators heard testimony this week from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi of Florida, Russ Vought, a nominee for the Office of Management and Budget, Doug Burgum, a former governor of North Dakota, who was nominated as Interior Secretary; Eric Scott Turner, a nominee for the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager who was appointed to lead the Treasury Department.
Democrats expressed concerns about cybersecurity, domestic terrorism, aid for natural catastrophes, and the U.S.-Canada border during Noem’s largely cordial hearing.
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee’s top Democrat, questioned Noem on domestic terrorism and her plans to combat it, citing the most recent terrorist assault in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Noem stated that immigration at the southern border is the biggest threat to the United States, but he also pointed out that domestic terrorism is increasing.
Senate Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the committee’s chair, strongly emphasized border security, the reintroduction of Trump-era immigration laws, and the reduction of humanitarian parole and temporary legal immigration programs like Temporary Protected Status.
If confirmed as DHS secretary, Noem stated she will use her expertise as South Dakota’s governor. Managing natural disasters, like the recent June flooding in her state that impacted McCook Lake property owners, and cybersecurity are two examples of it.
However, those property owners have warned the state of South Dakota that they may sue the state, claiming that flood diversion attempts by state and municipal officials directly caused catastrophic damage to their town.Residents claimed officials, particularly Noem, who had a news conference before the disaster but then flew out of state for an apolitical fundraiser in Tennessee while the flood was happening, had not adequately alerted them to the floods.
Peters noted that DHS is frequently the first line of defense in the event of a natural disaster, without specifically addressing McCook Lake.
From brutal storms like hurricanes that devastated Southern states to the devastating wildfires in California and innumerable other severe storms and flooding events across our nation, Peters said the FEMA must keep up its hard work to address the growing number of natural disasters affecting our communities as a result of climate change.
In December, Congress passed a stopgap budget plan that includes $100 billion for disaster assistance.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, expressed his disappointment with Trump’s handling of the California fires, pointing out that during the first Trump administration, Washington State and other blue states’ pleas for disaster assistance were dismissed.
According to Noem, there will be no political bias in the way disaster aid is provided to the American people under her direction at the Department of Homeland Security.
Noting the $100 billion in recently passed money by Congress, Blumenthal questioned her about if she would comply with Trump’s directives to deny disaster aid to blue states.
When asked about a hypothetical situation, Noem replied she would not respond.
“With all due respect, it’s more than a hypothetical,” Blumenthal stated. It is predicated on President Trump’s history of withholding funds from Washington state and other locations. I want to know if you will confront the president.
Noem promised to follow the law when delivering the programs.
Noem stated in her ethical agreement that she intends to step down as governor of South Dakota as soon as she is approved as Trump’s DHS secretary, which could happen as early as next week.
She also mentioned that she intends to sell her stake in Ashwood Strategies LLC, the business that she manages.
Noem disclosed to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics that she received a book advance of over $140,000 for a 2024 memoir in which she confessed to shooting and murdering her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, because of behavioral problems. Although there was bipartisan criticism of the revelation, she has largely supported it.
Additionally, she received almost $40,000 as an advance for Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland, her debut book that was released in 2022.
She disclosed that her spouse earns somewhat more than $1 million at his insurance company. The form states that he is the only owner.
Peters added that DHS lacks the resources necessary to support trade at the northern border. The number of illegal crossings has increased, he added.
Noem stated that her objective is to have the northern border adequately manned for both trade and security, in addition to concentrating on the southern border.
Unauthorized crossings have increased in her state, according to Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat from New Hampshire.
According to Hassan, there is genuine worry in New Hampshire and throughout the northern border that we fortify the border and have the necessary resources. Along with many family ties, we also have a very solid commercial link with our partner and our northern friends. We want to make sure we have the resources we require, but we don’t want to obstruct the lawful movement of people and the economy.
She inquired as to whether Noem would think about adding more employees and modernizing the equipment at the northern border.
“I want to work with the Senate, the House, and Congress on that to make sure that the resources are available to meet the challenges at the border,” Noem stated.
GOP Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Josh Hawley of Missouri stated that they want DHS to rescind a number of immigration practices from the Biden administration, including humanitarian parole and the use of the mobile app by migrants.
Noem stated that one of her first orders, if confirmed, would be to shut down the so-called CBP One app. She added that DHS will maintain the data throughout the app’s closure. According to Noem, the tool shouldn’t be used to admit asylum seekers into the nation.
Trump’s vice president, J.D. Vance of Ohio, has also expressed disapproval of the app’s use, claiming on social media that it is the Biden administration’s most underreported scandal.
According to him, they applied to help with illegal immigration. It’s mind-blowing.
Noem said that the border wall’s building would proceed when Lankford inquired about it.
Hawley questioned whether Noem would try to bring back the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which forces asylum seekers to wait for months or even years in dangerous areas of Mexico while their cases are being processed.
The president and I have discussed this in great detail, and I will work with him to ensure that the Remain in Mexico policy is implemented, she stated.
Noem went on to say that she also wants to see more immigration courts and judges. But immigration courts are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, not DHS.
Ohio freshman GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno asked about Temporary Protected Status, which allows people to remain in the United States and work temporarily if their home country is deemed too dangerous for return due to war, natural disasters or violence. The TPS program, which does not offer a road to citizenship and usually needs to be reauthorized every 18 months or so, has about 1 million participants.
This program has been abused and manipulated by the Biden administration, and that will no longer be allowed, Noem said.
TPS covers 17 nations, including Venezuela, El Salvador, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
This month, the White House renamed TPS for El Salvador, Sudan, Venezuela, and Ukraine. Of those redesignations, Noem said she specifically disagreed with the one for Venezuela.
During Trump s first term, he tried to end the TPS designation for Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Sudan, but was blocked by the courtsin 2018.
Freshman Democratic Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both former House lawmakers, pressed Noem on how she would carry out mass deportations of people in the country without legal status.
Kim asked what kind of authority border czar Tom Homan would have in immigration policy and if Homan would be giving direct orders to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
If he is going to be making decisions, then he should come before this committee as well, Kim said.
Noem said that she would be working with Homan daily and that there s no authorities being planned to be taken away from the department or myself in the role.
But it sends some mixed signals, Kim said. People in my home state, maybe around the country, when they hear Mr. Homan saying, I m making the decisions, when they hear President-elect Trump say He s in charge of our border.
Gallego asked Noem what her plan was to ensure there is a safe and legal process for agricultural workers, who he said are concerned about what Trump s mass deportations plans could mean for them.
You know, talking to my agricultural community, my dairy community, they have concerns that this approach will lead to workforce shortages that will further drive up the costs of everything, Gallego said.
Noem said that Trump has been very clear that his priority is going to be deporting criminals, those who have broken our laws and perpetuated violence in our communities.
She added that his next priority for deportations will be those who have removal orders.
Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst also asked Noem how she plans to detain immigrants, and not allow those who have been charged with a crime to be allowed bond.
The number one priority of the president is to secure the border and to deport these criminal actors immediately and as soon as possible. They will be the number one priority to make our communities safer and so that we don t have this kind of situation going forward, Noem said.
Separately, the U.S. Senate early Friday also voted on a bipartisan basis to move forward with a bill that would greatly expand mass detention of immigrants arrested or charged with a property crime.
The measure was written in response to the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley, in Georgia. A man from Venezuela who was in the U.S. without proper authorization has been convicted of the crime.
