California Sens. Padilla and Schiff demand answers from Kristi Noem over immigration
California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla joined lawmakers from both parties on Tuesday morning in criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of the department’s aggressive immigration enforcement.
The lawmakers questioned and engaged in heated exchanges with Noem during a four-hour hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. For the most part, the hearing reflected the partisan divide over President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Democrats pressed Noem on agents’ enforcement tactics, federal detention standards and the arrests of U.S. citizens. Republicans largely used their time condemning former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and praising Noem for the return of stronger border security. Two GOP senators, however, were critical of her performance.
Each lawmaker had about 10 minutes to question Noem.
Schiff, like others, focused his questions on Noem’s response to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Within hours of their deaths, Noem publicly accused both of engaging in acts of domestic terrorism — claims later contradicted by video evidence.
At the hearing, Noem said she was relaying information provided to her by agents at the scene. She expressed regret for the deaths, but declined multiple opportunities to retract her claims or apologize to the families.
“Your statements based on completely unvetted information,” Schiff said. “Information that, even if it was provided to you, proved to be utterly false…Don’t you think in the immediate aftermath of a shooting that you should provide only vetted information to the public? How do you imagine you’re going to gain the trust of American people if you’re pushing out false information about the shooting of American citizens?”
Schiff also questioned Noem on the department’s decision to spend more than $200 million on television advertisements that prominently featured her. The company awarded much of the nine-figure ad deal has strong ties to Noem, according to reporting from ProPublica.
Noem said Trump approved of the ad deal through conversations with her and that she had no role in selecting the company that received the contract.
Padilla, who was detained at a news conference held by Noem last year, centered his questions on whether immigration agents could be deployed to polling locations in November. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon called for such actions last month.
Noem said there were no plans to station immigration officers at polling sites, but she sidestepped Padilla’s question about how she would respond if directed by the president.
“There is no plans to send ICE officers to polling locations,” Noem said. “Are you planning on sending illegal aliens to vote?”
Nonpartisan research consistently finds that instances of noncitizen registration and voting are extremely rare.
Like several of Democratic senators, Padilla ended his questioning by calling on Noem to be removed from her position.
“You should resign, or the president should fire you, or the House should vote to impeach,” Padilla said.
