US Homeland Security chief grilled over immigration crackdown

"Under your leadership, the Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law," Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, told Noem.

"DHS agents have wreaked havoc in our cities," Durbin said. "They roam the streets in paramilitary gear and arrest and detain people based on the color of their skin, their accents and the language they speak."

Durbin and other Democrats repeatedly asked Noem to apologize for the deaths of two Americans shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota during protests against the immigration crackdown and for calling them "domestic terrorists."

Noem, making her first appearance before Congress since the shootings, expressed her condolences to the families over the "tragic" deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis but denied calling them domestic terrorists.

"I said it appeared to be an incident of (domestic terrorism)," she said, blaming the reference on "chaotic" first reports.

Republican President Donald Trump campaigned for the White House on a pledge to deport millions of undocumented migrants and Noem is the chief enforcer of that policy.

Noem defended the department's actions, saying US-Mexico border crossings have plummeted to historic lows and "nearly three million illegal aliens" have been removed from the United States during the past year.

"Our department has delivered historic results and has made our community safer since the start of President Trump's second term," she said.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham praised the immigration enforcement, saying the Trump administration inherited a "mess" from Democratic President Joe Biden.

"Sensible immigration died on Biden's watch," Graham said. "It was replaced by an out-of-control open border, just absolute chaos."

- 'No quotas' -

Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who has announced plans to retire, also criticized the Biden administration's border policies but had harsh words for Noem's tenure at DHS and called for her resignation.

"What we've seen is a disaster under your leadership," Tillis said. "What we've seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens."

Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, also questioned Noem about her characterizing Good and Pretti as domestic terrorists and expressed skepticism about DHS's advertising spending on its deportation campaign.

"How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?" Kennedy asked.

Noem said the advertisements had been "effective." 

"They were effective in your name recognition," Kennedy shot back.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons accused DHS of acting unconstitutionally in a bid to meet White House demands for "higher and higher numbers for deportations."

Noem denied DHS was operating under a quota system.

"There are no quotas at the Department of Homeland Security," she said. "When we do law enforcement operations we do them on targeted enforcement, getting public safety threats off of our streets and out of our communities to protect the American people."

Noem also urged lawmakers to reach an agreement ending a partial government shutdown that has choked off funding for parts of her department.

Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented to how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency conducts its operations.

They have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks and a requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.

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