The secretary of the home protection authority Kristi Noem testifies on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, before the committee for the security and state matters of the Senate (Screenshot from the Committee Webcast)
Washington -The USAM Tuesday on Tuesday on Tuesday of the US Ministry of Homeland Protection Authority was founded by senators of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on the financing of estimates for a barrier along the southern border as well as concerns about compliance with the Trump government to enforce a proper procedure for enforcing immigration.
Noem was sharply criticized by Democrats for her answers to questions about Habeas Corpus, which they said they had not properly defined. “Habeas Corpus is a constitutional right that the president must be able to remove people from this country,” said Noem, before being cut off by the democratic Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, who had asked her for a definition.
“It’s wrong,” said Hassan. “Habeas Corpus is the legal principle that requires the government to give a public reason for the detention and detention of people. If not for this protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold it for no reason.”
As far as President Donald Trump’s border plans are concerned, even the Republicans expressed doubts.
“I know that the wall (of) great symbolic value is, but I think we should re -rate the costs,” said Republican Chairman Randrend Rand from Kentucky about the reconciliation package of the house, which requires 46 billion US dollars in the border wall financing.
Noem appeared in front of the committee to discuss President Donald Trump’s budget application for the congress together with the provisions on border security in the reconciliation package. Congress republican Use reconciliation -A special procedure that implemented the 60-coating filibuster of the Senate to put together a bill to meet Trump’s priorities in relation to border security, tax cuts, energy policy and defense.
“The border crisis is the biggest problem that was confronted in our country, and it was essential to fix the future of our nation,” said Noem, the former governor of South Dakota. “We solve this crisis at a record pace and have delivered the safest border in American history.”
The Democrats of the Senate urged nothing about DHS editions and found that it is on the right track to assume the financing by mid-July, and the procedure of their agency, which led to an high-priced implementation of immigration.
The top democrat of the committee, Senator Gary Peters from Michigan, found that the detention of migrants at the Guantanamo Naval basis costs up to 100,000 US dollars a day compared to $ 160 in a US immigration and customs authority.
“I think that’s a little outrageous,” said Peters. “I care about the astonishing costs, and I would hope to secretly (NoEM) that you could undertake to offer this committee a detailed breakdown of the total costs of this company there.”
Noem said she would get the costs for him.
Questions about Habeas Corpus
Several Senate Democrats, including Hassan, Andy Kim from New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, questioned comments from high -ranking officials from the White House such as Stephen Miller, who stated that the discussions about the suspension of Habas Corpus were underway.
Habeas Corpus allows people in the United States who believe that they are illegally detained to apply for their release to court and it can be used to question the arrest of immigration.
In the US constitution, in which Habas Corpus can be suspended, it says: “In cases of rebellion or invasion, public security can require this.” This provision lies within Article I of the Constitution, which covers the functions of the legislative department or the congress.
Habeas Corpus was only suspended four times in US history during the civil war; In almost a dozen counties in South Carolina, which were overrun by the Ku Klux Klan during the reconstruction; In an uprising of 1905 in US territories in the Philippines; And after the bombing for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
Slotkin said Noem that she was concerned about her answer that she believes that the president has the right to suspend Habeas Corpus.
“They sat here in front of all of us and sworn an oath in the constitution,” said Slotkin to Noem, adding that the President Habeas would expose Corpus that it would be a “complete handing over”.
“It is a right that we all get American citizens that people who are legal in the United States,” said Slotkin.
Kim asked Noem, a former member of the US house, whether she knew which section of the constitution allows the suspension of Habas Corpus and which article is subject to.
Noem did not know the answer to both questions.
“It is in Article I,” said Kim. “Do you know which branch of the government branches do I convert the tasks and responsibility for responsibility?”
Noem said Congress. She then argued that former President Abraham Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus.
Lincoln exposed Habeas Corpus between Washington, DC and Philadelphia because of the civil war and initially did so without the consent of the congress. Later he called the congress back into the meeting to get Approval of the congress for this.
Reality show with competing immigrants
The Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut asked Noem whether DHS would organize a reality show after several media reports that would have immigrants competed for citizenship.
Noem vehemently denied that DHS looked at it.
“Something may have been submitted somewhere in the line because there is suggestions for the department, but I and my management team have no knowledge of a reality show, and it is not taken into account,” she said.
Kim urged nothing about the recent confrontation between the legislators and immigration officers in the Delaney Hall in his home state New Jersey.
Three democratic members of the New Jersey – Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Lamonica Mciver and Rob Menendez – protested in Newark against the reopening of Delaney Hall, a detention center for immigrants.
The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, who also protested, was arrested.
The Trump administration Monday raised two crimes Against one of these members, McIver, she accused of attacking civil servants during the arrest of Baraka.
Kim said he was concerned about the incident and asked Noem whether she was aware that members of the congress do not need a prior notice to carry out supervision in DHS facilities.
Congress members are allowed to carry out supervisory visits in a DHS facility that immigrants defines in an appropriation law without prior notice in accordance with provisions.
Noem accused the three house members to “storm” the facility.
“We give tours when members of the congress ask about it, we only ask that they are not politicized,” she said.
Preparation for gigantic sporting events
Florida GOP Senator Rick Scott and Rand Paul asked Noem how prepared DHS is to ensure gigantic sporting events such as the Super Bowl and the World Cup.
Scott wanted to know how the security preparations for the 2026 World Cup that includes games in Miami.
Miami is one of 11 US cities who organize the World Cup. The others are Atlanta; Boston; Dallas; Houston; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; The San Francisco Bay Area; The New York and New Jersey metropolitan region; Philadelphia; and Seattle.
“We work hard with FIFA and other companies to ensure that cities and states have the assets they need. This will be an unprecedented world event,” said NoEM. “It will take place in three different countries and many cities in our country, but also in Mexico and Canada, and it will take place for a month.”
The World Cup, which started for the first time in the 1930s, usually takes place in a country every four years. The last time that two countries organized the one -month event was in 2002 with Japan and South Korea.
Paul asked Noem whether the NFL or FIFA, the governmental authority of international football, ever paid DHS for its security measures.
Noem said no.
“Here is my point,” said Paul. “The NFL earns billions of dollars. These people should pay. I think it is ridiculous that the average taxpayer could never afford to go to an NFL -Super Bowl (and) to pay for their safety.”
