DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before House committee about worldwide threats

[0:00] come to order. Chair made it clear, committee in recess at any point. I would also like to [0:08] welcome the newest member of the committee, Mr. Matt Van Epps. Happy to have you here. [0:13] You all can sit down for now, please. The purpose of today's hearing is to better understand the [0:21] worldwide threats facing us today. Under the rules of the House, the chairman is responsible [0:26] for maintaining order and preserving decorum in the committee room. I expect audience members to [0:31] be respectful of witnesses, members, and the public. The issues we are debating are important [0:36] ones that members feel deeply about. While vigorous disagreement is part of the legislative [0:40] process, members are reminded that we must adhere to established standards of decorum in debate. [0:47] It is a violation of House rules and the rules of this committee to engage in personalities [0:50] regarding other members or to question the motives of a colleague. It is also a clear [0:55] violation of the rules of the House to make statements that might be personally offensive [0:58] to the President or the Vice President of the United States. Remarks of that type are not [1:02] permitted by the rules and are not in keeping with the best traditions of our committee. [1:06] The chair will enforce these rules of decorum, [1:08] at all times, and urge all members to be mindful of their remarks. [1:12] I now recognize myself for an opening statement. [1:15] Good morning. Welcome to the Committee on Homeland Security's annual hearing on worldwide threats. [1:21] Our witnesses today are Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, National Counterterrorism [1:26] Center Director Joe Kent, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Operations Director Michael [1:30] Glashine. I appreciate your willingness to testify and address the threats America face [1:35] every day at home and abroad. I want to recognize that this is an annual hearing on the one [1:40] committee expects to hold in September. [1:43] This year, we made numerous accommodations considering the record-long Democrat shutdown [1:53] and your busy schedules. But we expect 2026 to include the Homeland Security Secretary, [1:57] the NCTC Director, and as in the past, the Director of the FBI. The Department of Homeland [2:02] Security and this committee were created following the attacks on September 11th and bestowed [2:07] with the responsibility to secure the homeland from threats and keep Americans safe. The [2:12] work your agencies do each day furthers that mission, and this committee will always be [2:15] a strong partner in those efforts. I want to commend all three of you. The border is [2:20] secure, the flow of drugs is slowing, and violent criminals are being taken off the [2:25] streets. America is once again a symbol of global strength. However, I'm sure you'll [2:31] agree it is not time to take a break. It is time for action. We cannot succeed in our [2:37] collective Homeland Security mission without working together, collaborating, and striving [2:41] for better. The threats we face are persistent and ever-changing. The days of strictly kinetic [2:47] strikes are over. [2:49] The battlefield is not the same as it was on the Western Front in 1914, the Pacific [2:53] Theater in 1941, and not even the Middle East in the 2000s. In 2025, we fight our adversaries [3:00] in cyberspace, we counter radicalization on the internet and in chat rooms, we resist [3:04] communist China propaganda, we prepare for newfound biological threats, and we combat [3:09] the flow of transnational criminals across our borders. This is why this hearing is so [3:15] important. [3:17] Congress must hear from the executive. Oversight is not unfair. [3:20] Asking questions is not unwarranted. We must ensure the people's representatives are informed. [3:26] In less than one year, the Trump administration has delivered historic results in securing [3:29] our borders and dismantling transnational criminal networks. The commitment to restoring [3:35] and maintaining a state of law and order has resulted in illegal border crossings falling [3:39] to their lowest level in decades. [3:41] Compared to last year, nationwide border encounters have plummeted nearly 80 percent. This is [3:46] a testament to the administration's enforcement of law and deterrence of further and uncontrolled [3:50] illegal immigration. [3:53] More and more, both nations and nations of the world have become more and more vulnerable. [3:53] Both nation, state, and rogue actors are turning to cyberspace to conduct nefarious [3:57] operations against the United States and its interests. [4:01] Just a few weeks ago, we saw the first mainly autonomous artificial intelligence conducted [4:07] cyber attack. The AI threat is no longer something out of a faraway science fiction movie. Technology [4:13] improves every day, and so does our adversaries' understanding of how to use it. We must be [4:18] prepared. We must work together with our state and local partners, as well as the private [4:22] sector, to share information, to better identify and monitor the threat. We must be prepared. [4:24] We must identify and mitigate attacks. We must remain vigilant in the face of threats [4:29] posed by Russia, China, and Iran. And we must harden our critical infrastructure. [4:34] The United States is entering an unprecedented period of hosting major international events, [4:39] including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, [4:44] and nationwide celebrations marking the nation's 250th anniversary. These mass gatherings [4:49] will test the nation's ability to secure large crowds, safeguard foreign delegations, and [4:54] maintain operational community security. The United States will be the first nation to [4:55] host a major international event in the United States, and will serve as a starting point [4:56] for international community continuity amid evolving threats from nation-state adversaries, [5:01] foreign terrorist groups, transnational criminal organizations, and lone actors. [5:06] Trump administration is employing a whole-of-government approach to ensure these events are safe and [5:09] secure. However, host cities and law enforcement should shoulder significant burdens in planning [5:16] and resourcing. Persistent challenges include coordination shortfalls, intelligence-sharing [5:22] gaps, and jurisdictional limitations, particularly at ancillary venues such as athlete housing, [5:27] training facilities, hotels, and fan zones. All of this is on the backdrop of the [5:32] upcoming 25th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11th that [5:36] took the lives of thousands across New York, DC, and Pennsylvania. This is why I [5:40] sought this chairmanship and what guides me every day in this work. We all share [5:44] the same goal, keep Americans safe regardless of the threat. I look forward [5:50] to the witnesses testimony today and I hope we can work together to ensure we [5:52] achieve this common goal. I now recognize the ranking member, the gentleman from [5:56] Mississippi, Mr. Thompson, for his opening statement. Thank you very much [6:01] Mr. Chairman and before I start let me welcome Mr. Van Epps to the committee. [6:07] Mr. Chairman, thank you for getting the Secretary of Homeland Security and [6:13] National Counterterrorism Center director here today. Your predecessor [6:18] couldn't seem to get that done and I appreciate your commitment to holding [6:23] this hearing. Each day we've had more examples of Republicans abdicating [6:29] their constitutional oversight responsibilities. Fortunately, unlike [6:34] other chairs in this body, it appears that if you are serious about this [6:40] committee work being done and I complement you for that. As I look at [6:45] the witnesses table though, I can't help but notice that FBI director Kash Patel [6:52] isn't here with Secretary Noem and director Kent. I'd also say that we have [7:00] just received a voice announcement by All-N-One and there's been no direct meeting of the board [7:00] been provided Secretary Nome's testimony. I've been on the committee since its inception and [7:09] I've never had the rules violated where we couldn't get testimony so members of the committee could [7:16] look at it until today. Today's hearing is supposed to be one of the most important exercises of this [7:23] committee's oversight jurisdiction. Each year we hear from the Secretary of Homeland Security, [7:29] the Director of National Counterterrorism Center, and the Director of the Federal Bureau [7:34] of Investigation who is nowhere to be seen today. Maybe Director Patel is too busy spending [7:43] taxpayer dollars flying to his girlfriend's concert on the FBI's jet to answer questions [7:51] from Congress. Maybe the FBI Director isn't here because he's afraid of scrutiny from Democrats [7:58] who want to know what the FBI [8:00] is doing to keep America safe. Or maybe Director Patel knows that the Trump administration itself [8:07] is a threat to Homeland Security and want to hide from public accountability. On the other hand, [8:15] Director Kent is here which is a good because we have questions for him about NCTC's work [8:24] as well as his comments about the January 6th insurrectionists he called [8:30] in our [8:31] quote, political prisoners, unquote, who deserve to be pardoned. Some of the people he defended, [8:39] however, are back in jail for crimes like plotting to murder FBI agents and possession [8:47] of child pornography. It's scary that these unserious people are in charge of keeping America [8:55] safe from terrorism. But what's even scarier is that they work for an unserious and unhinged [9:03] president. [9:04] who spends most of the days designing monuments to himself [9:08] and finding new ways to hide the Epstein files. [9:14] All of this puts America and its lives, people who live here, at risk every day. [9:22] Now, Secretary Nolte, everyone knows you love the spotlight. [9:28] We've seen your commercials, but what you haven't provided to the committee, [9:33] despite our many requests, are the questionable contracts that you've awarded to your friends [9:40] to film you on the 2028 campaign trail. [9:46] Unfortunately, this is nothing new. [9:49] In that one big, ugly bill, congressional Republicans gave you a blank check, Secretary Nolte, [9:57] and you have wasted no time spending it on yourself. [10:01] Instead of deploying Homeland Security grants, [10:05] to protect churches and synagogues from terrorism, [10:09] you handed your friends a $220 million contract [10:13] so they could follow you around the country with a camera. [10:18] Instead of fully funding the DHS agency that protects our hospitals, schools, [10:25] and electrical systems from cyberattacks, [10:28] you spent $200 million to buy yourself new private jets. [10:34] And instead of paying, [10:36] your way, like the rest of us, [10:39] you're living rent-free in a taxpayer-owned property [10:43] that is supposed to be reserved for military leaders. [10:48] Every penny that you spend on yourself [10:50] represents the blood, sweat, and tears [10:53] of hard-working Americans [10:56] who expect their tax dollars to be spent on Homeland Security, [11:00] not promoting you and your interests. [11:05] Apparently, you haven't noticed that regular people, [11:08] are suffering under President Trump's affordability crisis. [11:13] Or maybe you, like him, thinks it's a hoax and just don't care. [11:19] Either way, such corrupt behavior hurts Homeland Security. [11:24] But it's not just the corrupt behavior, [11:27] Secretary Harry Nolte, that hurts Homeland Security. [11:30] It's also your blatant disregard for the law. [11:33] You cut programs and withheld congressionally appropriated money [11:40] to prevent terrorist attacks, [11:42] and prepare for natural disaster. [11:44] You eviscerated the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, [11:48] which was supposed to keep DHS [11:51] from violating Americans' constitutional rights. [11:54] Within your own department, [11:56] you illegally fired employees [11:58] and retaliated against whistleblowers [12:00] who reported wrongdoings at DHS. [12:04] And during a shutdown, [12:07] when frontline employees were working without a paycheck, [12:10] your press shop never stopped. [12:13] It never stopped using its social media accounts [12:16] to push out racist and xenophobic posts. [12:20] Throughout your tenure, [12:22] you diverted resources from critical Homeland Security agencies [12:27] and programs to carry out an extreme immigration agenda. [12:33] You illegally ordered people deported to El Salvador. [12:39] Despite a federal court order and Department of Justice counsel [12:43] instructing you, [12:44] to not do so. [12:46] You illegally ignored a federal court order [12:50] and shipped people off to South Sudan without due process. [12:55] You are illegally blocking members of Congress [12:58] from conducting oversight of ICE detention facilities, [13:03] even though federal law demands that we have access. [13:08] In the process of carrying out this extreme agenda, [13:12] at your direction, [13:14] DHS has terrorized, [13:16] beaten, [13:17] and detained hundreds, [13:18] if not thousands of American citizens. [13:21] At your direction, [13:23] DHS has illegally detained and deported American citizens, [13:28] including U.S. citizen children with cancer. [13:32] At your direction, [13:33] DHS has illegally gassed, [13:36] pepper sprayed, [13:38] and put their knees on the necks of Americans, [13:41] including military veterans and clergy. [13:45] At your direction, [13:47] DHS has illegally tackled, beat up, [13:51] and humiliated United States citizens, [13:54] including senior citizens. [13:57] At your direction, [13:59] DHS has illegally tased, [14:01] maced, punched, [14:03] and even shot Americans. [14:05] Black and brown Americans in particular [14:08] have been racially profiled, detained, [14:12] locked up, [14:13] and sometimes with tragic consequences. [14:17] It's just one awful incident. [14:17] It's just one awful incident. [14:19] It's just one awful incident. [14:20] A pregnant U.S. citizen was reportedly thrown to the ground, [14:26] kicked and left in handcuffs for hours [14:30] after immigration officers did not believe [14:33] that she was an American. [14:36] She later lost a baby. [14:38] You cannot enforce the law by breaking the law, [14:42] Secretary Nome. [14:43] That's not how justice works. [14:46] It's not right, and it's un-American. [14:50] And when Congress tries to carry out [14:52] its constitutional oversight, [14:53] to question you about your department's actions, [14:57] to question you about your department's actions, [15:00] you hide, [15:01] often with the help of congressional Republicans. [15:04] Never in the history of the committee [15:07] has a Secretary of Homeland Security [15:09] hidden from congressional oversight like you [15:13] and your department have, Secretary Nome. [15:16] Our oversight letters to you go unanswered. [15:20] You owe us by extending the millions of Americans [15:26] who sent us to Congress as their representatives [15:30] a response to over a dozen letters. [15:34] Your predecessor came before this committee regularly [15:37] on the administrations of both parties but under President Trump. [15:44] You and other Department officials have royally shown [15:48] their faces at committee hearings. [15:51] In the first year President Biden's term, [15:54] his administration made 28 appearances [15:56] before this committee . . . [15:58] 28! . . [16:00] Trump. DHS officials have appeared to only three hearings before this committee, just three. You, [16:09] Secretary Nome, have appeared before this committee just twice. That's fewer appearances [16:15] than your predecessor, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who Republicans lambasted for not [16:22] coming before the committee more often. It's interesting how my colleagues on the other side [16:29] are now. Secretary Nome, I'll give you one thing. You showed up today rather than throwing a civil [16:37] servant under the bus like Director Patel did. But you have systematically dismounted the [16:45] Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the [16:50] law. You are making America less safe. So rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours [16:59] with more corruption, [17:02] I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign. That is, if President Trump doesn't fire you first. I [17:16] yield back. [17:17] The gentleman yields back. Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. I'm pleased to have a highly [17:26] distinguished panel of witnesses before us today. Pursuant to Committee Rule 8C, I ask that the witnesses please rise and raise their right hand. Do you [17:38] solemnly swear the testimony you will give before the Committee on Homeland Security of the United [17:41] States? [17:41] of house representatives will be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth to help [17:45] you god thank you please be seated let the record reflect that the witnesses have all answered in [17:51] the affirmative i'd likely i would like to now formally introduce our witnesses first is mrs [17:59] christie gnome she is the secretary of the department of homeland security secretary gnome [18:03] previously served as governor of south dakota and was a member of this distinguished house [18:09] second is mr joe kent he currently serves as director of national counters and center with [18:15] office of director of national intelligence mr kent served in the u.s army completing 11 combat [18:20] tours and a stint with the central intelligence agency there it is mr michael guashin he's [18:26] operations director for the national security branch of the federal bureau of investigation [18:30] so guashin has served in national security for more than two decades including as director of [18:35] fbi's terrorist screening center and assistant director to the national security branch [18:39] prior to joining the bureau mr guashin served in the u.s marine corps i thank all the witnesses [18:45] for being here today i now recognize [18:47] secretary gnome for five minutes to summarize her opening statement thank you mr chairman and [18:55] thank you ranking member for holding this hearing today and inviting me to be a part of it i'm [18:59] looking forward to discussing the worldwide threats that this country faces and the work [19:03] that president trump and his administration does each and every day to make america safe again i'm [19:08] very privileged and honored today to have my family with me i'd like to introduce them to you [19:17] disruptions of congressional business is a violation of laws a criminal offense under [19:21] law audience members are advised to take their seats and maintain order the chairman may now [19:27] ask capitol police to remove and arrest the persons creating a disturbance secretary i'll come i'll [19:51] continue today with me i have my husband brian who's with me and also two of my children my [19:57] oldest daughter cassidy and her husband kyle are sitting here in the front row and then my middle [20:02] child kennedy and her husband tanner and that was my grandbaby noah that was crying a little [20:07] bit during the ranking members comments i don't think she agreed with him [20:11] i don't have my son with me or three of my grandchildren but i'm very blessed that i have [20:15] a wonderful family who is here and loves this country and is grateful to the work that we get [20:20] to do as a family each and every day we also have the blessing of having some angel families with us [20:25] as well they are here in the audience and i'm so grateful for them for being willing to come here [20:30] and be strong it's hard to lose someone that you dearly love to illegal criminal activity [20:36] to people who never should have been in our country to begin with and to lose those loved ones [20:41] so let's all be honest and remember that we all ourselves are here to protect our loved ones [20:46] we go out to our great friends who've been martyred by the cars we can't wait to keep our [20:50] families safe and some of our loved ones we won't forget and we'll be happy to be with you [20:55] you may be getting told that they are out of their homes they have an awful lot of drugs [20:58] drug overdoses that get perpetuated by the terrorist organizations that filter them into [21:03] our country that president trump works so hard to stop so i'm grateful that they're here and that [21:07] they are telling their story under president biden he closed the office in the department of homeland [21:09] cases of the individuals who killed their family members and they can get the kind of help that [21:14] they need to get through the tragic grief that they've experienced. So I want to thank them for [21:18] being here and continue to pray for them. I want to thank you for the opportunity to be in front of [21:22] you today to discuss the wide range of threats that the Department of Homeland Security is working on [21:27] to protect us from here at home and also around the world. Just two weeks ago, the day before [21:33] Thanksgiving, a terrorist shot two of our National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., killing Sarah [21:38] Beckstrom dead and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is still fighting for his life. Fortunately, [21:43] we've had some really good news about Andrew recently and he had the opportunity to stand up [21:48] and is a miracle and we're so grateful for his family for being so strong. We continue to lift [21:53] him up and pray he has a full recovery. The terrorist who shot them was an Afghan national [21:59] who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome. The same week, we arrested another [22:04] Afghan national who came in under the same program. He was planning to carry out a [22:08] bombing in Fort Worth, Texas. And just last week, just miles away in Washington, D.C., [22:13] we arrested another Afghan national who also came in under Operation Allies Welcome. That individual [22:20] provided support to the Islamic State of Iraq and ISIS-K and weapons to his father, who was a [22:26] commander of a militia group in Afghanistan. Those are only a handful of the challenges that we face [22:32] and the threats that the Department of Homeland Security stands against every single day. [22:37] Under President Trump's leadership, [22:38] DHS is securing our borders, we're restoring the rule of law, and we're protecting the homeland. [22:44] DHS is eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs [22:49] from continuing to be funneled into our communities. We're ending illegal immigration, [22:53] returning sanity back to our immigration system, and we're defending against cyber [22:57] attacks against our critical infrastructure. We have sent a strong message to criminal illegal [23:03] aliens that we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you. Our message has [23:09] resonated to over 1.5 million illegal aliens who have gone home on their own voluntarily. [23:16] At the same time, we as a country are still dealing with the mistakes, the errors, [23:20] and the willful disregard of the last administration. For four years, [23:25] the Biden administration allowed millions of people to come into our country illegally. [23:29] Millions more in our country were exploited and were brought in under parole programs without [23:34] even basic vetting. As a result, we've seen terrorist attacks and heinous crimes committed, [23:39] against American children and families, by criminal illegal aliens and violent perpetrators [23:45] who should have never been allowed into this country in the first place. Transnational [23:49] organized crime groups, including Mexico's Sinaloa, New Generation Jalisco, and other [23:54] drug cartels, they cause chaos, and they harm American interests. Our critical infrastructure [24:00] faces a perilous landscape, largely driven by the impact of cyber attacks, from bad actors [24:06] and cyber criminals. American citizens are increasingly [24:09] concerned about the impact of cyber attacks, from bad actors and cyber criminals. American citizens are increasingly [24:10] under threat, from assassination attempts, intimidation tactics, and violence perpetuated [24:15] by our adversaries, radical Islamic extremists and domestic extremists. These bad actors seek [24:22] to undermine our public trust. They instill fear in Americans. They destabilize the institutions [24:27] that safeguard our national security. The United States is preparing to host several major public [24:33] events in 2026, most notably the FIFA World Cup and the celebration of the 250th [24:39] anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. These large-scale events will be potential targets [24:44] for a range of bad actors, and they come with an increased level of risk. DHS is using every [24:50] tool and authority we have to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens and our visitors can enjoy next [24:55] year's events. Radicalized domestic violent extremists and lone actors are a concern, [25:00] and intentional targeting and murderous attacks on ICE agents in Texas, [25:04] parishioners in Michigan, and two National Guardsmen here in Washington, D.C. are just [25:09] some of the acts—the despicable examples—that unfortunately are becoming too common. [25:15] These threats underscore a clear need for security strategies that counter both large-scale and [25:22] individualized attacks. We will remain alert in our mission to protect this country. [25:27] We will protect our citizens. And as we enter into a historic year, [25:31] America will be on the world stage. Our economy faces challenges from anti-competitive and [25:36] illicit foreign economic practices that hurt the prosperity of our country. [25:39] Thank you for listening to the U.S. Department of State! [25:40] all Americans. Those include economic espionage, intellectual property theft, and customs fraud. [25:45] Illicit front companies often abuse the visa system to acquire sensitive U.S. equipment, [25:51] information, and technology. Economic security is national security because a country that cannot [25:57] feed itself, can't fuel itself, and cannot provide for itself cannot possibly defend itself. Under [26:05] President Trump's leadership, we will continue to protect American interests and bolster American [26:09] economic power and technological innovation to further growth and prosperity. The American [26:14] people depend on the Department of Homeland Security to remain vigilant, agile, and responsive. [26:20] We will never yield, we will never waver, and we will never back down. Thank you for the privilege [26:25] to be with you today, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to your continued support of the work [26:29] that we do. I yield back. Thank you, Secretary Noem. I now recognize Director Kent for five [26:34] minutes to summarize his opening statement. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, ranking members, [26:41] and all the members of the Senate. [26:41] I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and discuss the threats posed to our nation. [26:47] Despite the progress that we've made so far in the Trump administration, [26:50] the threat posed by terrorists of all brands remains very high right now. We've made significant [26:57] progress under President Trump's leadership. We have the jihadis of ISIS and al-Qaeda on the run [27:03] in Iraq and Syria thanks to the decisive action and the strikes that we've taken there recently [27:07] since President Trump took office in January. However, we have a persistent [27:12] threat from the individuals that were allowed into this country by the previous administration. [27:17] The number one threat that we have right now, in my view, is the fact that we don't know who came [27:22] into our country in the last four years of Biden's open borders. What we have identified is alarming, [27:29] and I want to share that with you today. We just recently put out a warning, warning of the heightened [27:33] risk of terrorist attacks posed to the homeland by terrorists pretty much of all stripes, but in [27:39] particular from ISIS and from al-Qaeda. [27:42] NCTC has been crunching the numbers and going through the sheer volume of known and suspected [27:47] terrorists that are in the country that came in under the Biden administration. So far, NCTC has [27:52] identified around 18,000 known and suspected terrorists that the Biden administration let [27:58] come into our country. These are individuals who under normal circumstances would never be allowed [28:04] to enter our country because of their ties to jihadi groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. Yet the [28:09] Biden administration not only let them into the country, but they also let them into the country [28:12] and in many cases facilitated their entry into the country, just like the entry of the Afghan terrorists [28:18] who committed the terrorist attack here just before Thanksgiving, killing one of our National Guard [28:22] members and wounding another. That Afghan was brought into the country as a group of over 100,000 [28:29] Afghans who were brought here during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. These individuals, [28:35] despite what has been reported, were not vetted properly to come into the United States. The [28:42] Afghan terrorist who committed the attack in D.C., he was vetted to serve as a soldier in Afghanistan. [28:48] The Biden administration essentially used his tactical-level vetting as a ruse to bring him here and to bring him into our [28:55] communities, and we've seen the tragic results of that. Now, that Afghan, that attacker, that terrorist, is just one of 88,000. [29:03] We've identified 2000 of that group of 88,000 who have ties to terrorist organizations. We're working [29:09] right now hand-in-hand with DHS and with the FBI to run down this 2,000, the Afghans who came here [29:15] under allies welcome, who have ties to terrorist organizations. And additionally, the other 16,000 [29:21] individuals have ties to terrorist organizations that Biden let into our country. That is probably the top terrorist [29:27] threat that we face right now, and that doesn't include the individuals who came here illegally through the open border. That number has been [29:33] alarmingly remains unknown at this time we're trying to figure out who those [29:37] individuals are as well also adding to this elevated threat we have Isis and [29:43] Al Qaeda that have found sanctuary in places like Afghanistan and Syria due to [29:47] the transitional nature of those governments and also again in an Iraq [29:52] and some of the the hinterlands of Iraq and these terrorists are able to [29:55] communicate and spread their propaganda and a lot of their know-how thanks to [29:59] the proliferation of encrypted apps and also due to just the internet writ large [30:04] the new terrorist tactic that we're seeing more and more is moving away from [30:07] very deliberate cellular attacks that we can infiltrate easily while they [30:12] communicate into an inspirational methodology where you have key members [30:16] putting out media and putting out how-to guides to reach out and to touch [30:20] individuals inside the United States we recently disrupted one of those attacks [30:24] just before Halloween thanks to the work of the FBI with support from [30:29] Washington D.C. and other organizations in the United States. [30:29] Thank you. [30:29] really the entire U.S. intelligence community and the Joint Terrorism Task Force model in Michigan. [30:35] That plot touched multiple states and had ties to ISIS inside Iraq and Syria. [30:41] Another issue that we are addressing right now, thanks to the decisive leadership of President Trump, [30:46] is the scourge of fentanyl, gang, and cartel violence. [30:49] Under President Trump's leadership, we've designated these cartels and gangs as terrorist organizations, [30:56] and we've done that rightfully so. [30:57] These individuals, these terrorists, have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, [31:02] as these angel families will tell you firsthand. [31:05] What President Trump has done by designating them as terrorists has allowed us to turn the tools of the intelligence community against them [31:11] and predominantly watch list them as terrorists to prevent them from ever coming into America in the first place. [31:18] To date, we've added about 35,000 of these narco-terrorists to our terrorist watch list, [31:22] and we've stopped just around 6,000 of these terrorists from ever intervening. [31:27] We've also stopped 3,000 of those 2,000 of those looks on television as terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria. [31:32] But we've also stopped a great deal of these terrorist organizations from ever coming into our country, [31:36] so that an encounter is needed, and we've also stopped shooting parecered terrorists on the ground. [31:39] We've stopped this terrorist organization from even being a terrorist, [31:42] and we've stopped some steeds of nonprofits in this country to prevent them from entering our country from setting foot inside of America, [31:50] so that they can no longer kill Americans with impunity. [31:54] These are just some of the issues that we're covering 24-7, 365 at the National Counterterrorism Center, [31:59] and I look forward to discussing more with you all today. [32:01] the FBI who tackle the complex and grave threats we face with perseverance, professionalism, [32:07] and integrity. Our nation faces serious and evolving threats ranging from international [32:13] terrorists to hostile foreign intelligence operatives, from sophisticated cyber techs [32:19] to internet facilitated sexual exploitation of children from violent gangs and criminal [32:24] organizations to public corruption and corporate fraud. Keeping pace with these threats is a [32:29] significant challenge. Our adversaries take advantage of the internet, social media, [32:35] and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to influence the American people, [32:40] facilitate illegal activities, and recruit followers. Even as 2026 marks the 25th anniversary [32:50] of the 9-11 attacks, terrorism remains a persistent but evolving threat. Over the past [32:57] several years, the FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:02] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:03] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:03] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:04] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:05] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:06] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:07] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:08] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:10] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:11] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:12] of the 9-11 attack. The FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in the radicalization [33:13] of the violent extremist content. [33:17] International terrorists continue to pose [33:18] one of the greatest, most immediate threats to the homeland. [33:22] Some international terrorists and people located and radicalized [33:25] to violence primarily inside the United States [33:29] who are not receiving individualized direction [33:31] from foreign terrorist organizations or FTOs [33:34] but are inspired to commit violence by FTOs such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. [33:40] Iran continues to plot attacks against former government officials [33:43] in retaliation for the January 2020 death [33:47] of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, Commander Qasem Soleimani. [33:53] Iran also continues to provide support to its proxies [33:57] and terrorist organizations throughout the world, such as Lebanese Hezbollah. [34:03] China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and criminal ransomware [34:06] continue to be the top cyber threats facing the United States. [34:10] And there's no clear line where cyber criminal activity ends [34:14] in nation-state activity. [34:16] Critical infrastructure remains a highly attractive target [34:20] for cyber criminals and nation-state actors [34:24] due to the potential to cause widespread disruption, [34:28] financial damage, and risk to our national security. [34:33] The United States faces foreign intelligence threats [34:35] as nations such as the People's Republic of China, Russia, and Iran [34:41] become more aggressive and capable than ever. [34:44] The PRC has deliberately created an environment [34:47] that abuses global interconnectedness [34:50] and encourages the United States to act. [34:51] The PRC has deliberately created an environment [34:51] that abuses global interconnectedness and encourages the United States to act. [34:51] the PRC has deliberately created an environment that abuses global interconnectedness and acompanies [34:52] and encourages the United States to act. [34:52] Thesy пр 시 وه kanske стал мыть по грты [34:53] the Alison [35:00] спекуляции [35:00] согла ая [35:01] очки [35:03] Russia continues to seek and acquire U.S. technologies [35:08] to help rebuild its defense industrial base, [35:14] relying on complex procurement networks [35:16] to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions. [35:18] The United States faces many criminal threats [35:20] including violent crime, financial and health care fraud, [35:24] transnational and regional organized criminal enterprises, [35:24] cosmetics ultimately bells you off national crime, macro ů [35:24] crimes against children and human trafficking, [35:27] violent threats against public election officials, [35:30] personnel, and public corruption. [35:33] Currently, the FBI-led task forces are staffed [35:35] with over 9,000 federal, state, local, [35:38] tribal, and territorial partners. [35:40] Many of these task forces are focused on cartels, [35:46] violent crime, drug trafficking, child exploitation, [35:52] and human trafficking across our nation's communities. [35:55] The FBI has and continues to establish [35:57] strong capabilities to assess the threats, [35:59] share intelligence, and leverage key technologies. [36:03] We recruit the best to serve as special agents, [36:05] intelligence analysts, and professional staff. [36:08] Our leadership team views change and transformation [36:10] as a positive tool for keeping the FBI focused [36:13] on the gravest threats facing our nation. [36:15] Over the past few months, we started the process [36:19] to relocate hundreds of positions [36:22] from the National Capital Region [36:23] out to field offices across the country. [36:25] This enhancement to field resources increases [36:28] our investigative capacity across our 56 field offices [36:32] and enhances the FBI's commitment to addressing [36:34] violent crime, gangs, drugs, counterintelligence, [36:38] and terrorism threats. [36:40] Our fellow citizens look to us to protect the homeland [36:43] from these threats. [36:44] And every day, the men and women of the FBI continue [36:46] to meet and exceed these expectations. [36:50] I'm proud to represent them in testimony today, [36:52] and I welcome your questions. [36:56] Thank you, Director Gosheen. [36:58] My understanding is a witness may have to leave early today. [37:00] While I want to be clear, the committee did not agree [37:02] to a hard stop, all witnesses are here voluntarily [37:05] and are free to go. [37:06] If a witness does leave, the hearing will continue [37:08] with the remaining witnesses. [37:09] Members will be recognized by order of seniority [37:12] for their five minutes of questions. [37:14] We want to get through as many members as possible, [37:16] so even though I have been lenient before [37:18] with the five minutes, I'm directing members and witnesses [37:21] that we're going to strictly enforce [37:24] the five-minute rule today. [37:26] I now recognize myself for five minutes of questions. [37:32] Secretary Noem, I appreciate you being here today, [37:34] and you've been on the job less than a year, [37:37] and this is the second time appearing before the committee, [37:39] which I think is the norm, and I do really appreciate [37:42] you being here. [37:43] And I know you have a very important job to do. [37:46] You oversee a lot of different sub-agencies, [37:50] so I know you can't always be here in person. [37:52] And with that, as a committee, we [37:55] still want to work with the administration [37:57] and conduct our oversight, so I'm [37:59] asking you if you can commit to making sure [38:01] that in the future, if we want to have a hearing, [38:06] you'll be able to supply maybe a deputy secretary or somebody, [38:09] to come specifically talk about that. [38:12] Yes, Mr. Chairman. [38:14] I really appreciate that communication, [38:16] and I think collaboration between the administration [38:19] and Congress is key. [38:23] Secretary Noem, I also want to ask you, in September, [38:27] the department under FEMA proposed new allocations [38:29] for counterterrorism grant funding, which cut dollars [38:33] to New York by 80% because of a new formula. [38:36] Considering New York is consistently a top terror, [38:40] target this was surprising. [38:41] We're grateful President Trump restored this grant funding. [38:46] In pursuance to the present direction, [38:47] has the department increased the allocation to New York? [38:51] Yes, President Trump did. [38:53] I would say that when we look at the Homeland Security grants [38:56] and how they're allocated, the formula [38:59] focuses on where we see the threats today [39:01] and where those communities are that need the resources. [39:04] I would also inform the committee and you, [39:08] Mr. Chairman, that New York City, at the time of the allocation, [39:11] still had over $440 million in reserve [39:14] that was available to them to utilize. [39:17] So the intention of these grants is that communities [39:20] and cities would use the dollars to build up the security measures [39:23] that they need to do for a long-term impact, [39:26] and that the same amount of dollars aren't necessary [39:28] every single year. [39:29] You need to meet the threats where they are in the country [39:31] at the time the grant dollars are available. [39:33] So thank you to all of you for your work on getting us dollars [39:37] that we can give to grants to help secure our local communities [39:40] and states. [39:41] But when we're looking at cities that have hundreds of millions [39:44] of dollars in reserves, we recognize that giving them [39:47] hundreds of dollars of millions more may not be appropriate, [39:51] considering all of the threats that we have. [39:53] But President Trump has sent more resources to New York City. [39:56] We'll continue to meet the threats head-on, [39:59] because that is our mission, is to make sure that we're looking [40:02] at every single threat that we have. [40:03] The formula that we have considered [40:05] and have put in place recognizes what came over the border, [40:08] where we see the infiltration going, [40:10] which communities are impacted, [40:12] and what we need to do to harden our systems. [40:14] Mr. I appreciate that, Secretary, [40:15] and I appreciate the work you're doing with the President. [40:16] I appreciate his decision to send that increased money [40:20] to New York. [40:23] I have a question. [40:24] Since this is about worldwide threats, [40:25] can you discuss what DHS's most significant concerns [40:28] are today for the country? [40:31] Ms. I would say, Mr. Chairman, [40:32] what keeps me up at night is that we don't necessarily know [40:36] all of the people that are in this country, [40:38] who they are and what their intentions are. [40:41] We know that 15 to 20 million people came in under the Biden [40:44] administration on the invasion over the southern border. [40:46] They were not vetted. [40:48] They were allowed to pour in. [40:50] Our parole programs, our asylum programs, [40:53] our visa programs were all exploited, [40:55] and the integrity was demolished under Joe Biden [40:58] and the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security. [41:00] And frankly, the entire department was neglected. [41:03] In fact, I believe the Secretary was told at times [41:07] not to do certain things by the Biden administration [41:09] to facilitate this invasion. [41:11] So what keeps me up at night is the individuals [41:14] that are in this country that wish to do us harm. [41:16] And that is why we are so aggressive at making sure [41:18] that we're going out and doing investigative work, [41:21] finding those violent criminals, [41:23] finding those people who shouldn't be in this country [41:25] to begin with and those that want to go after [41:28] and to harm our American citizens. [41:30] Mr. Thank you, Secretary. [41:31] Director Cushin, during, as you heard and as you've said, [41:34] during the next few years, the United States [41:36] will host more major events than ever before. [41:39] This brings obvious concern, security concerns, [41:42] including counter drones, which we just passed [41:46] some new authorities in the NDA yesterday. [41:48] How is the FBI preparing for counter drone threats [41:51] during mass gathering events? [41:54] Secretary Cushin Thank you for that question. [41:56] Counter UAS, the passage of the legislation yesterday [42:01] is a game changer for us. [42:04] How we're preparing for that going forward, [42:07] we just stood up a counter UAS school down in Huntsville, [42:10] Alabama, where we will train federal officials, state locals, [42:16] as well to assist with that preparation and implementation [42:20] of using counter UAS technology. [42:24] Prior to this passage, it was only the FBI and or DHS [42:28] that could provide that assistance. [42:29] Now that this passage of authority, [42:31] it will allow us to have a greater handling of the threat [42:36] to a mass event. [42:37] Secretary Cushin Thank you very much, Aiel Beck. [42:39] I now recognize the ranking member [42:41] for five minutes of questions. [42:42] Aiel Beck Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. [42:45] Mr. Gladstein. [42:47] Will you tell me the organizations that pose [42:55] on the domestic side, two of the organizations, [43:00] number one, number two, threat to the homeland at this point? [43:03] Secretary Cushin Can you please clarify organizations? [43:09] Aiel Beck Any domestic terrorist organization [43:12] that poses a threat to the homeland as we speak? [43:16] Secretary Cushin I'd say the first one, [43:18] you know, President Trump had just announced [43:21] executive order domestic terrorist organization [43:23] Antifa. [43:24] That's our primary concern right now. [43:26] Secretary Cushin All right. [43:29] That's what President Trump did. [43:30] What does the FBI say? [43:31] Secretary Cushin We share the same view. [43:33] When you look at the data right now, you look at the domestic [43:36] terrorist threat that we're facing, right now, what I see [43:40] from my position is that's the most immediate violent threat [43:44] that we're facing on the domestic side. [43:46] Secretary Cushin So where is the Antifa headquarter? [43:49] Secretary Cushin What we're doing right now with the [43:55] organization? [43:56] Secretary Cushin Where in the United States does Antifa [43:59] exist? [44:01] If it's a terrorist organization, where in the United States does Antifa exist? [44:03] Secretary Cushin Where in the United States does Antifa exist? [44:04] Secretary Cushin Where in the United States does Antifa exist? [44:05] Secretary Cushin Where in the United States does Antifa exist? [44:06] Secretary Cushin You're a terrorist organization, and [44:07] you've identified it as number one. [44:08] Secretary Cushin We are building out the infrastructure right [44:09] now. [44:11] Secretary Cushin So what does that mean? [44:13] I'm just, we're trying to get the information. [44:16] You said Antifa is a terrorist organization. [44:21] Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that? [44:24] Where do they exist? [44:26] How many members do they have in the United States, as of right now? [44:30] Secretary Cushin Well, that's very fluid. [44:33] It's ongoing for us to understand that. [44:35] The same, no different than al-Qaeda and ISIS. [44:36] Secretary Cushin No. [44:37] No, I don't want you. [44:38] I'll ask one question, sir. [44:40] I just want you to tell us, if you said Antifa is the number one domestic terrorist organization [44:46] operating in the United States, I just need to know where they are, how many people. [44:53] I don't want a name. I don't want anything like that. [44:55] Just how many people have you identified with the FBI that Antifa is made of? [45:05] Well, the investigations are active. [45:10] Sir, you wouldn't come to this committee and say something you can't prove, I know. [45:15] I know you wouldn't do that, but you did. [45:19] Madam Secretary, you and the gentleman from NCTC reference the unfortunate accident [45:30] that occurred with the National Guardsmen being killed. [45:34] You think that was an unfortunate accident? [45:37] I mean, wait, wait, look, I'll get it straight. [45:40] He shot our National Guardsmen in the head. [45:43] Look, Mr. Chairman, will you direct the witness to allow me to ask my question? [45:51] It was an unfortunate situation. [45:52] But you blamed it solely on Joe Biden. [45:57] I want you to know who approved the asylum application for this same person. [46:06] Mr. Thompson, this individual that came into the country. [46:09] No, I want to know who approved it. [46:10] Congressman Thompson, I want you to understand when this individual came into the country, [46:15] he came under an evacuation of Afghanistan under Operation Allies Welcome, [46:21] was thoroughly vetted by the Biden administration at that point in time, [46:25] allowed into our country, and that was never followed up. [46:28] I want to remind everybody in Congress. [46:30] Reclaim my time. [46:31] We follow the law, and every asylum is supposed to have a check-in every single year, [46:36] and the Biden administration failed to do that. [46:39] They vetted this individual, allowed them into our country, and did not do that. [46:43] The witness will allow the gentleman to ask his question. [46:45] Yes or no, who approved the asylum claim? [46:48] The application on the asylum was thoroughly filled out by information that was gathered by the Biden administration. [46:54] So the Biden administration. [46:55] The Biden administration approved the asylum. [46:57] The asylum application was put into place under the rules established by the Biden administration. [47:02] Reclaiming my time. [47:04] I don't want to charge, file perjury charges against you, [47:09] but I'm of the opinion that the Trump administration, DHS, your DHS, approved the asylum application. [47:19] The asylum application moved forward under all of the information and vetting processes [47:23] that were put in place under the Biden administration. [47:26] Which is when vetting happened. [47:27] And that's what President Trump has changed. [47:30] Under President Trump's administration. [47:31] Reclaim my time again. [47:32] It's obvious you don't want to answer the question. [47:35] Mr. Kent, do you want a shot at it? [47:36] The individual was vetted to serve as a soldier in Afghanistan, [47:42] and that vetting standard was used by the Biden administration as a ruse to bring him here. [47:48] Had we followed the standard operating procedures for special immigrant visas, [47:52] that individual and none of the allies welcome people would have come to America. [47:56] That's on Joe Biden. [47:57] Gentlemen, gentlemen. [47:58] Time has expired. [48:00] That was the answer. [48:01] Point of order, Mr. Chairman. [48:02] That was a murder that took place in D.C. [48:04] It was not an unfortunate incident. [48:07] And those comments are effing disrespectful. [48:12] Who is it? [48:13] I expect better from the... [48:14] It's not a valid point of order. [48:17] I recognize the gentleman from Texas, the former chairman, Mr. McCall, for five minutes. [48:21] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [48:22] Madam Secretary, great to see you. [48:25] This hearing reminds me of the novel, A Tale of Two Cities. [48:31] They see it, the Dems see it as the worst of times, [48:33] but I see it really as the best of times. [48:37] What do I mean by that? [48:38] Under the Biden administration, 15 to 20 million illegal aliens, unvetted, as you indicated, [48:47] came into this country. [48:49] What I think most disturbing is Director Kent's testimony. [48:53] 18,000 known or suspected terrorists got into this country under the Biden administration. [49:00] That's why we impeached Mayorkas as one of the managers. [49:04] He told his border patrol, you don't have to pay attention to federal law when it says [49:09] shall detain aggravated felons. [49:11] He disregarded federal law and says, you know what? [49:14] May detain. [49:15] It's discretionary. [49:16] And guess what? [49:18] We have thousands of aggravated felons now, or if not millions, in this country today. [49:23] That was the worst of times. [49:25] Let me go to the best of times. [49:27] Most secure border I've seen in my 22 years in Congress. [49:31] And I've dealt with this for a long time. [49:33] Coming from Texas. [49:34] Texas being chairman of this committee. [49:36] The daily crossings are 95% down from the prior administration. [49:42] That's the best of times. [49:44] Zero catch and release. [49:47] My very first bill in Congress 22 years ago was to end catch and release. [49:53] 22 years later, we finally have achieved that goal. [49:57] That, Madam Secretary, is the best of times. [50:00] An all-time record low. [50:02] America is safer today. [50:04] I feel so. [50:06] And when I look at the Venezuelan vessels attacked, the President had every right under the Constitution, [50:12] Article II, international waters, cartels designated as FTOs, coming into our country to spread poison to kill Americans. [50:22] If that's not self-defense, I don't know what it is. [50:25] And then finally, Madam Secretary, thank you for taking out the shadow Iranian oil tankers headed from Venezuela to Cuba, [50:34] getting around our sanctions. [50:37] It's just a lot of damage. [50:38] And we all know we can't give up that. [50:40] It's just a long time. [50:42] We have to start getting back at them. [50:43] You know, the vital Vietnam. [50:44] You know, we have to start getting back at them. [50:45] And we have to start getting back at them. [50:46] But I never have seen a concerted Congress pass. [50:47] I'm probably seeing an administration flexing its muscle in this hemisphere, which has been neglected for so many years. [50:50] So air, land and sea is your charge. [50:51] It's a military charge as well. [50:52] I see the land secure. [50:53] I see the maritime borders getting more secure, and I applaud you for that. [50:54] On the air-secure piece, I chair the special events task force, that's FIFA, the Olympics. [50:56] I'm not here to talk about a special event. [50:57] Mm-hmm. [50:58] I mean, this is a great moment. [51:00] secure peace. I chair the Special Events Task Force, that's FIFA, the Olympics, the 250th [51:07] anniversary. Drones are the biggest threat as I see it. I see it in Ukraine and its conflict with [51:14] Russia, and I see it across our border, and I see it at these events. If you could update me, [51:21] and with the new NDA authorization to allow federal, state, and locals to work together [51:26] to identify hostile adversary drones and take them down, can you tell me how that will impact [51:33] your ability, Madam Secretary, to better secure these special events? Yes, thank you, Congressman [51:41] McCaul, and thank you for your leadership. I understand you're retiring, and I'm sad about [51:46] that. You've been a statesman. Thank you for serving with such dignity. The counter drone [51:51] and drone technology that is out there today, frankly, our authorities haven't kept up with, [51:56] and so thank you for that. [51:57] Thank you for the legislation. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to truly defend the [52:00] homeland. Here at the Department of Homeland Security, we are going to be investing upwards [52:04] to $1.5 billion into drone technology and counter drone technology and mitigation measures that we [52:11] can deploy, not just across different NSC events or large-scale events that we're responsible for [52:17] the security on, but also that we can use to partner with cities and states for celebrations [52:22] and different things that they may hold as well. So we have the responsibility at the Department [52:26] of Homeland Security. [52:27] The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for the [52:30] nationals that will be held, the four FIFA and the 11 cities that will be hosting the matches here in [52:33] the United States, also the Olympics, the America 250 celebrations, also other national security [52:40] events that happen, such as Mardi Gras and other events that are going on throughout the country. [52:47] So this program that we will have will not only work within the events that the Department is [52:53] responsible for, but we will be able to sign agreements with states and cities to provide measures that they don't currently have. [52:57] And we're working with the FAA as well to get what we need to be able to operate. [53:02] And we don't want just to detect. [53:05] We don't want to just monitor. [53:06] We need to mitigate. [53:07] We need to take these drones down. [53:09] If I could add to my time, my time is going to expire. [53:11] There is so much technology out there today, counter-drone technology, [53:15] that I've been working to get into Ukraine to protect them from Russian drones, [53:19] that we can deploy at these events. [53:21] I'd love to visit with you on that at a later date. [53:24] And thank you for your service. [53:25] Yeah, thank you. [53:25] The gentleman's time has expired. [53:27] I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Correa, for five minutes of questions. [53:32] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [53:33] And I agree with my colleague from Texas. [53:35] It is a tale of two cities. [53:39] Secretary Noem, Trump administration, you're going after the worst of the worst criminals, [53:45] and we agree with you. [53:47] The problem is 70% of the people you've arrested have no criminal record. [53:52] You're going after non-criminal immigrants, U.S. citizens, and permanent legal residents. [54:00] Donna Hughes Brown, Irish citizen, green card holder, 48 years in the United States. [54:09] She also happens to be the mother of a U.S. Marine, sister to a retired Army colonel. [54:18] She's in ICE detention since July. [54:21] She tried to come back from Ireland, arrested, has been there since then. [54:27] Her crime? [54:28] She wrote two bad checks for less than $80 a decade ago. [54:35] You arrested her, she's in custody. [54:36] Her husband, Jim Brown? [54:39] Came to us and told us her story. [54:42] Jim told us, I voted for President Trump because he promised to go after criminals in our community, [54:51] and not people like my wife. [54:53] If I can, I'd like to play a video for you. [54:55] You voted for President Trump. [55:10] Yes, sir. [55:11] Why did you vote for him? [55:13] Because I was an idiot. [55:15] 80% of the evangelical Christian people were lied to, if you really want to know the truth, [55:22] and that's exactly what happened. [55:23] They said criminal. [55:25] You know, and I... [55:26] I believe criminals need to be off the street. [55:29] I just want to make sure people watching this understand who you are. [55:33] My wife and I, when we don't work, we're ministers. [55:37] We help the needy. [55:40] That's what we do. [55:42] We, and that's, that's who they're arresting. [55:45] Now, we've got Mr. Jim Brown before you. [55:50] He's standing up. [55:53] Hopefully you can talk to him a little bit. [55:55] These people, Donna Hughes Brown, are not the individuals that should be deported. [56:02] Another case, Narciso Barranco, was beaten and arrested by masked agents while working as a landscaper. [56:15] He's an undocumented immigrant, 30 years in this country, not a traffic ticket. [56:22] Mr. Barranco is also the father of three U.S. Marines. [56:27] Three Marines. [56:29] You want to make a movie of people like this? [56:32] A man who comes to this country, instills patriotism in his kids, [56:35] they swear an oath to serve. [56:40] And possibly give up their life for this country. [56:47] We'll play a video on this as well, please. [56:50] Federal agents were filmed pinning a man to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck [57:02] before putting him in an unmarked car. [57:04] The man in the video has been identified as Narciso Barranco [57:07] and is the father of two active duty Marines and one Marine veteran. [57:11] The Department of Homeland Security said an illegal alien was arrested by Border Patrol agents [57:16] after he, quote, assaulted federal law enforcement. [57:18] Adding that Barranco, quote, [57:21] I also have with us today Alex Barranco behind you, a retired Marine. [57:38] That's his father. [57:41] And Alex, on behalf of myself, members here, [57:46] I want to thank you for your service to our country [57:48] and we also thank your brothers for serving our great country. [57:52] Thank you very much. [57:54] Got another case. [57:56] George Reyes. [57:57] 25-year-old native of California, my home state. [58:02] He's a U.S. citizen, Army veteran who served in Iraq. [58:08] On his way to work, he came to an immigration checkpoint. [58:13] Pulled over out of nowhere. [58:17] Officers deployed tear gas on him, broke his car window, pepper-spayed him, [58:22] and dragged him out of his car. [58:24] An American citizen held for 72 hours without any charges, [58:29] wasn't even given the opportunity to shower, to wash off that paper spray. [58:35] The gentleman's time has expired. [58:36] I now recognize the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Gessler. [58:38] Mr. Chairman, I have two articles I'd like to present for the record. [58:43] The gentleman's consent. [58:43] Under President Trump, an agency intended to keep Americans safe [58:51] has diverted resources from child abuse, trafficking, and terrorism [58:55] to immigration enforcement. [58:59] Second is this letter from my Orange County Sheriff, Don Barnes, [59:04] essentially talking about all the individuals under Prop 50 [59:08] referred to ICE 2024. [59:13] Mr. Chairman, I will entertain UCs at the end of the hearing. [59:25] I want to entertain all UC motions at the end of the hearing. [59:27] We have witnesses. [59:28] I want to make sure everybody has time. [59:29] So if we do this now, we do have a witness that has to leave. [59:31] You're just going to be taking time from other members. [59:33] But I will entertain UC motions at the end of this hearing. [59:36] I now recognize the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Gessler, for five minutes. [59:40] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [59:41] Madam Secretary, it's great to see you again. [59:43] Thanks for appearing before us again. [59:46] I want to echo some of the remarks of Mr. McCaul. [59:50] I want to first thank you. [59:52] I want to thank the men and women who serve under your command [59:55] for the incredible job that you have done over the last 12 months. [1:00:01] We have seen that you are active in enforcing the rule of law. [1:00:06] We have seen a border that is as secure in our lifetime as we have ever seen. [1:00:12] You mentioned in your opening statement, [1:00:13] over the last four years, we saw somewhere between 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants enter the country. [1:00:20] Just looking at monthly statistical data, [1:00:23] we know that under the Biden-Harris administration that in December of 2024, [1:00:28] that there were over 300,000 illegal immigrants who were encountered along the southern border in that month alone. [1:00:36] Recent statistics by the Department of Homeland Security for October, [1:00:40] the most recent statistics we have, [1:00:42] show that the number of border encounters for October of this year under your leadership [1:00:48] have dropped to 11,000, a decrease of over 95%. [1:00:56] And so I want to thank you for that. [1:00:58] I want to thank you for the work that your men and women have done [1:01:00] to protect our borders from illegal narcotics entering the country. [1:01:05] We saw a press release the Coast Guard sent out this week [1:01:10] regarding operations, [1:01:12] and they mentioned a specific seizure that occurred on December the 2nd [1:01:18] by the Coast Guard Cutter Monroe, [1:01:20] in which, in a single incident of interdiction, [1:01:24] that the Coast Guard had the largest maritime interdiction seizure in almost 20 years, [1:01:30] seizing 20,000 pounds of cocaine in an individual seizure. [1:01:35] So I thank you for your aggressive actions in enforcing the law, [1:01:39] and for the incredible work that you and the men and women [1:01:42] under your command are doing. [1:01:44] I want to talk about, as we talk about threats, [1:01:46] I want to talk about threats against law enforcement. [1:01:48] Last week, this committee, we had a hearing. [1:01:51] The hearing was entitled, When Badges Become Targets. [1:01:55] And during that hearing, we talked about the threats to law enforcement, [1:01:58] specifically federal law enforcement, [1:02:00] and even specifically within federal law enforcement, [1:02:03] the threats toward ICE agents, [1:02:04] the threats toward you and other members of leadership within DHS. [1:02:09] We know that those threats and those incidents [1:02:12] of physical attack, [1:02:13] have escalated dramatically, [1:02:15] in some cases, over a thousand percent. [1:02:17] And part of the driving force, I believe, behind those threats [1:02:21] is what I refer to as rhetoric against law enforcement. [1:02:25] And I brought this up last week, [1:02:27] and I want to bring this up again with you [1:02:28] and give you a chance to briefly address this. [1:02:32] These are just roughly 10 of the statements [1:02:35] that I was able to easily find online [1:02:37] by elected officials, governors, mayors, [1:02:39] in many cases, members of Congress, [1:02:41] where they were spewing, [1:02:43] what I believe to be very harmful statements [1:02:45] toward law enforcement. [1:02:47] Governor Pritzker claimed that ICE is grabbing people off the street [1:02:55] and disappearing them, [1:02:56] that our country is becoming Nazi Germany. [1:02:59] Representative Crockett compared ICE to slave patrols. [1:03:03] Representative Garcia referred to ICE as thugs. [1:03:06] Representative Ramirez attacked ICE as a terror force, [1:03:09] later a terrorist organization, [1:03:12] and then later in the hearing said, let me be, [1:03:14] let me be clear, the Department of Homeland Security, [1:03:16] you can quote me on that, [1:03:18] is the single biggest threat to public safety right now. [1:03:22] Representative Tlaib said ICE is terrorizing our community, [1:03:25] turning our country into a fascist police state. [1:03:29] Representative Jaap Paul called ICE agents deranged [1:03:33] and said it's inspiring to obstruct immigration enforcement. [1:03:38] Governor Walz smeared ICE agents as modern-day Gestapo. [1:03:42] Chicago Mayor Johnson accused ICE [1:03:45] of being secret police and terrorizing our community. [1:03:49] Representative Lynch referred to ICE agents [1:03:51] as the Gestapo and nondescript thugs. [1:03:54] And Representative Frost compared ICE operations [1:03:57] to some of the worst horrors and crimes [1:04:00] against humanity in history. [1:04:02] And so, Secretary Noem, I'd like to give you a few moments [1:04:05] to, one, address these statements [1:04:08] and to speak to how these statements place the safety [1:04:12] of our men and women of law enforcement at risk. [1:04:15] Thank you, Congressman Guest. [1:04:16] I appreciate you giving me the chance to talk about this [1:04:18] because I think the words that these elected officials [1:04:21] have used to describe our law enforcement officers [1:04:24] are horrific, shocking, and unacceptable. [1:04:27] Every single American citizen should find the words [1:04:31] that they have used to describe these men and women [1:04:33] that took an oath to keep us safe unacceptable [1:04:37] and needs to be pointed out that we are seeing [1:04:41] the consequences of those words every single day [1:04:43] by the violent attacks. [1:04:44] A thousand percent increase in violent attacks. [1:04:46] Eight thousand percent in death threats. [1:04:49] It's unacceptable. [1:04:50] The gentleman's time has expired. [1:04:51] I now recognize the gentleman from Michigan, [1:04:53] Mr. Tanadar, for five minutes of questions. [1:04:55] Please remember to stick to the five minutes. [1:04:57] Thank you, Chairman Garbarino and Ranking Member Thompson, [1:05:00] for having this hearing today. [1:05:02] I know the American people have been demanding answers [1:05:06] from this administration on their unlawful actions, [1:05:10] so I hope we are able to get some useful answers [1:05:14] from our witnesses today. [1:05:17] Secretary Noem, this past May, I asked you [1:05:19] during a congressional hearing if it was the policy of DHS [1:05:25] to follow orders issued by federal courts. [1:05:29] You said on the record, and I'm quoting here, [1:05:33] we are following all federal orders. [1:05:36] End of my quote, end of your quote. [1:05:38] Secretary Noem, you lied to me under oath that day. [1:05:41] You lied to the American people, [1:05:44] and you have betrayed the trust placed upon you, [1:05:47] in your role as Secretary of Homeland Security. [1:05:50] You defied federal court orders when you refused to order [1:05:55] the deportation flights to El Salvador in March [1:05:58] to turn around. [1:06:00] Federal courts have also found your department [1:06:03] to have violated federal injunctions [1:06:06] in your continue to send non-citizens [1:06:09] on deportation flights, [1:06:12] with some courts having called your orders unlawful. [1:06:17] Secretary Noem, I just have, [1:06:18] I have three questions for you. [1:06:22] One, why did you lie under oath by saying DHS [1:06:28] was following all federal court orders [1:06:32] when they clearly were not? [1:06:35] Congressman. [1:06:36] Secretary Noem, let me finish my questions. [1:06:38] Question two, why did you mislead the American people [1:06:41] when you said that no American citizens have been arrested [1:06:46] or detained by federal immigration [1:06:50] agents? [1:06:50] And my last question, number three, [1:06:52] Donald Trump said that your ICE agents haven't gone far enough. [1:06:58] Do you think terrorizing American citizens [1:07:02] and assaulting peaceful protesters isn't far enough? [1:07:07] Congressman, the Department of Homeland Security [1:07:09] and this administration complies with all federal court orders. [1:07:12] We always have and we always will. [1:07:13] Not true. [1:07:14] And we will continue to appeal. [1:07:15] And sir, I will even tell you that at the highest court, [1:07:17] at the Supreme Court, the Department of Homeland Security [1:07:20] and our litigation, has an [1:07:21] over 90% success rate in winning at the highest court [1:07:24] in our battle against activist judges across this country. [1:07:27] Madam Secretary, look, look, look. [1:07:28] We have activist judges that we will continue to appeal. [1:07:30] And then when it gets to the highest court [1:07:31] and we get a decision, it is proven that we are right. [1:07:33] I want to reclaim my time here. [1:07:34] That we have been compliant. [1:07:36] I will also say, you talk about deporting of U.S. [1:07:39] Do you want me to answer your questions or not? [1:07:41] I do. [1:07:41] But let me, you haven't been telling us the truth. [1:07:45] Look, there have been at least 170 known cases of citizens [1:07:50] being arrested or detained. [1:07:51] By federal immigration agents this year alone. [1:07:54] This is the truth. [1:07:55] Are you lying to the American people right now [1:07:58] by denying these reports? [1:08:00] When we are doing our targeted enforcement operations [1:08:02] against criminal illegal aliens, individuals that are [1:08:05] in that area may be detained until we verify who they are [1:08:08] and then they are released. [1:08:10] This has been done for years [1:08:12] and every single law enforcement operation [1:08:14] that has always happened, we follow the same protocols [1:08:17] and we continue to do that. [1:08:18] We have never once detained [1:08:20] or deported a citizen. [1:08:21] We have not held them and charged them. [1:08:23] When we find out and verify their identity, [1:08:25] then that is when they are released. [1:08:27] You also asked about ICE agents going far enough. [1:08:29] Sir, I will tell you that every single ICE agent, [1:08:31] CBP agent, federal law enforcement officer that is [1:08:33] out there doing their work every day, none of them [1:08:35] will rest until our communities are safe. [1:08:37] None of them will rest until terrorists, criminals, [1:08:39] off of our streets and our children and our grandchildren [1:08:41] can grow up in a country that truly is safe. [1:08:43] Let me reclaim my time here, please. [1:08:45] Let me reclaim my time here, please. [1:08:47] Let me reclaim my time here, please. [1:08:49] Let me reclaim my time here, please. [1:08:51] It is a fact that you ignored federal court orders [1:08:55] in March and in May of this year. [1:08:57] Do you plan on ignoring more federal orders? [1:08:59] Do you plan on ignoring more federal orders? [1:09:01] I'm sick of your lies. [1:09:03] I'm sick of your lies. [1:09:05] The American people demand the truth. [1:09:07] It's because you keep saying it doesn't make it true. [1:09:10] I am sick of your lies. [1:09:12] The American people are sick of these lies. [1:09:14] American people demand truth. [1:09:16] America is very happy that finally they have [1:09:18] a president in the White House that gets up [1:09:20] every day to keep them safe. [1:09:22] Madam Secretary, [1:09:22] your incompetence and your inability to truthfully carry out your duties of Secretary of Homeland [1:09:28] Security. If you're not fired, will you resign? Sir, I will consider your asking me to resign [1:09:35] as an endorsement of my work. Thank you very much. I yield back my time. [1:09:41] Gentleman yields back his time. I'll remind members that they are entitled to ask questions [1:09:45] during their time. Witnesses are entitled to answer those questions. Members are entitled [1:09:51] to reclaim their time. If we're going to have questions and answers, please allow it. You can [1:09:55] reclaim your time if you want, but witnesses are here voluntarily. Please at least give them a [1:10:00] chance to answer the questions that you're asking. I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. [1:10:06] Pfluger, for five minutes of questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's unfortunate that our [1:10:10] colleagues on the other side of the aisle for five straight years now have no concern for anything [1:10:14] worldwide threats-wise. I have proven that. We're supposed to be talking about worldwide threats, [1:10:19] but unfortunately, we're talking about homeland threats, threats in our [1:10:22] homeland. And, Director, can you just reaffirm the number for us of people that match the [1:10:27] terror watch list that are in our country? There's 18,000 known and suspected terrorists [1:10:32] in the country right now that came in under Joe Biden's watch. 18,000. 18,000. That's unbelievable. [1:10:38] That's unbelievable. And that's just what we know of, Congressman. Secretary, despite even members [1:10:45] on this committee that have called our law enforcement and ICE and DHS and Border Patrol [1:10:51] and other agents. [1:10:52] Names and slandered them. I support you, and I support what you're doing to secure the [1:10:59] homeland. The Working Families Tax Act allocated $13.5 billion to the Department of Homeland [1:11:05] Security and the Department of Justice to reimburse states for the cost of the Biden-Harris [1:11:10] administration's open border policies. No state suffered more than Texas. Fentanyl, drug and human [1:11:16] trafficking, violent crime, stress on local emergency response services caused a lot of [1:11:22] substantial damage to my district, to our state, to my constituents, to people that live and work in [1:11:28] Texas. And in response, our state launched Operation Lone Star to secure the border when [1:11:34] the Biden administration abdicated their responsibility to do that. We built miles of [1:11:39] border wall. We had other barriers. We deployed state troopers, National Guard, to deter the [1:11:46] invasion that we suffered during this time period, which cost our state over $11 billion. And so as [1:11:52] part of the Working Families Tax Act, we allocated $13.5 billion to reimburse those states. Last month, [1:11:57] along with our senators, I led the Republican Texas delegation in sending a letter to you and [1:12:02] Attorney General Bondi highlighting this and requesting that the state of Texas be fully [1:12:06] reimbursed. And I wanted to get a status on that reimbursement today. Yes, thank you. And we still [1:12:11] to this day remain incredibly grateful to the state of Texas for their leadership during that [1:12:16] time. That was challenging times, devastating times for what we saw happening down there. And [1:12:21] Texas stepped up. [1:12:22] The state of Texas was able to do that. They were able to do it in a way that was absolutely [1:12:26] incredible. So, yes, those dollars are being formulated and allocated. If you remember, many [1:12:30] states deployed their National Guard down there. I was governor of South Dakota at that time, and my [1:12:35] National Guard was deployed down there as well. So reconciling the costs for every single state and [1:12:40] looking at that allocation, we're making sure we're doing due diligence to make sure that it's [1:12:45] appropriated correctly. [1:12:46] And just to be clear, I want to make sure that that money does come in the form of the reimbursement to Texas. [1:12:51] That's what we're working with the White House on doing, sir. [1:12:52] Yes. [1:12:53] When it comes to what Director Kent talked about, these 18,000 people, can you give us an idea of who these [1:13:03] people are, what type of threat they pose to us? We saw it wasn't some accident. This was an assassination and a [1:13:10] murder. It was not an accident, despite my colleagues saying that it was an accident. It was a murder and an [1:13:17] assassination of a National Guard hero. [1:13:21] So what other types of threats are you tracking and preventing from happening? [1:13:29] Yeah, I would say, sir, that we face the terrorists that we've faced for years in ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hamas, [1:13:35] individuals that are here that are radicalized, but also we face the cartels as they've infiltrated our country [1:13:41] under the last administration, their proliferation of human trafficking, drugs and violence, going after [1:13:48] Tren de Aragua as well, MS-13. [1:13:50] Those individuals are still a very real, clear danger every day on the streets and we encounter them, arrest them and [1:13:57] deport them and bring them to justice each and every day. Beyond that, sir, you even have gangs in cities that are [1:14:03] localized that are terrorist organizations. The Latin Kings in Chicago are absolutely terrorists to their communities [1:14:10] and we work every day to make sure that we're protecting those communities. So I could not prioritize one over [1:14:15] another because they're all killers. [1:14:16] Me too. [1:14:17] They're all killers and they all are destroying families each and every day. [1:14:19] For both you and Director Kent, do terrorist organizations around the world such as ISIS, al-Qaeda and others [1:14:26] still have an intent to attack America, to attack our homeland, to utilize every method? [1:14:32] Absolutely. Our intelligence and our information that we deal with every single day is addressing those threats [1:14:38] on our streets here in the United States. [1:14:40] Director Kent, can you give us an idea of what those tactics, techniques and procedures could be that we need to stay alert of? [1:14:48] Honestly, the attacks of October 7th, the decentralized and just barbaric nature of that is the new terrorist playbook. [1:14:55] They're not looking necessarily for a spectacular attack like we had on 9-11, but targets of opportunity like we [1:15:01] tragically saw with the terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. These smaller cells or even individual operatives taking [1:15:07] action, that's what has us very concerned combined with just the sheer volume. [1:15:10] My time has expired. Secretary, thank you for your commitment to reimburse Texas. I yield back. [1:15:15] Gentlemen's time has expired. I now recognize the gentleman who was here. [1:15:18] Madam Secretary, how many United States military veterans have you deported? [1:15:26] Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans. [1:15:30] I don't believe you served in the military. I haven't either. But I think you and I can agree that as Americans, [1:15:37] we owe everything to those who have served our country in uniform, particularly those who have served in combat. [1:15:42] Do you agree with that? [1:15:43] Sir, I believe that people that are in this United States that are citizens have legal status here. [1:15:48] Madam Secretary, we are joined by... [1:15:49] Madam Secretary, we are joined by... [1:15:50] We are joined on Zoom by a gentleman named Sejun Park. [1:15:53] He is a United States Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving our country in Panama in 1989. [1:16:01] Like many veterans, he struggled with PTSD and substance abuse after his service. [1:16:07] He was arrested in the 1990s for some minor drug offenses, nothing serious. [1:16:12] He never hurt anyone besides himself, and he's been clean and sober for 14 years. [1:16:16] He is a combat veteran, a Purple Heart recipient. [1:16:20] more for this country than most people ever have. Earlier this year, you deported him to Korea, [1:16:26] a country he hasn't lived in since he was seven years old. Will you join me in thanking Mr. Park [1:16:32] for his service to our country? Sir, I'm grateful for every single person that has served our [1:16:37] country and follows our laws. Can you please tell Mr. Park why you deported him? Every one of them [1:16:41] needs to be enforced. But you understand that many veterans struggle with PTSD, many veterans [1:16:46] struggle with substance abuse challenges. This man took two bullets for our country. [1:16:53] Will you, you have broad authority, by the way, as Secretary to issue humanitarian parole, [1:16:58] to do deferred action. Will you commit to at least looking at Mr. Park's case to see if you [1:17:03] can help him find a pathway back to this country that he sacrificed so much for? I will absolutely [1:17:08] look at his case, but I want you to remember... Thank you. Madam Secretary, the man behind you, [1:17:12] please stand up, sir. His name is Jim Brown from Troy, Missouri. [1:17:17] He is... [1:17:17] a Navy combat veteran who served our country in the Gulf War. He's married to [1:17:22] a woman named Donna who came to our country legally from Ireland when she [1:17:27] was 11 years old. She has lived here for 48 years. Because of you, Jim's wife Donna [1:17:33] has been in prison for the last four months. She did not come here illegally [1:17:37] and she has never committed any crime other than writing two bad checks [1:17:42] totaling $80 ten years ago. She is currently in prison and facing [1:17:49] deportation. Ms. Noem, will you thank Mr. Brown for his service to our country? [1:17:54] Thank you Mr. Brown for your service to our country. Now what possible explanation can [1:17:58] there be for locking up his wife for four months when she has committed no [1:18:02] crime other than writing a couple of bad checks for $80? Sir, it is not my [1:18:08] prerogative, my latitude, or my job to pick and choose which laws in this [1:18:12] country get in question. You have broad [1:18:14] discretion as the Secretary. You can issue parole, you can do all kinds of [1:18:18] things, but you're choosing not to. Will you commit again to just reviewing Donna's [1:18:22] case and reuniting this combat veteran with his beloved wife who also loves [1:18:28] this country? I will review the case. Now Madam Secretary, you've already heard the [1:18:33] story of Lance Corporal Alejandro Barranco, the United States Marine veteran [1:18:38] who is behind you, who also has two brothers who are United States Marines. [1:18:43] Will you thank Lance Corporal Barranco? [1:18:44] Thank you for your service. His father, Narcisco Barranco, is a landscaper in [1:18:51] California who has lived peacefully in our country for 30 years and has no [1:18:55] criminal record. Last spring while he was mowing the lawn at an IHOP, ICE agents [1:19:00] tackled him in the street and imprisoned him for weeks. A peaceful hard-working [1:19:05] man who raised three sons to be United States Marines. We need men of that [1:19:11] character in this country. Again, as Secretary, we have been in touch with him [1:19:15] you have broad discretion. Will you consider Lance Corporal Bronco's father for parole in [1:19:21] place to stay in our country owing to the fact that he has contributed to our country by raising [1:19:26] three United States Marines? This is an opportunity to remind everybody that every [1:19:32] person that's in this country illegally has an opportunity to voluntarily go home and come back [1:19:37] the right way. He raised three United States Marines. He has been living here peacefully, [1:19:43] doing his job for 30 years. You have discretion. You are choosing not to use it. Madam Secretary, [1:19:48] you promised America that you would go after the worst of the worst, but these people are not the [1:19:53] worst of the worst. A Purple Heart recipient, a military spouse, the father of three Marines, [1:19:59] and it's not just veterans and military families you are locking up and deporting children with [1:20:04] cancer, mothers with babies in the NICU, United States citizens. There are many problems [1:20:11] with your leadership, but the biggest problem [1:20:13] is this. You don't seem to know how to tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. [1:20:19] Go after the bad guys. Go after the terrorists. Do not go after veterans, Marines, children. [1:20:25] Gentlemen's time has expired. I yield back. [1:20:28] I now recognize the gentlelady from Georgia, Ms. Green, for five minutes of questions. [1:20:32] Thank you. The previously Democrat-controlled administration allowed over 13 million border [1:20:38] crossers from over 170 countries and territories to break our laws, [1:20:43] to kill our own people. They set all-time records for the highest number of illegal aliens ever [1:20:51] encountered in a single day at 14,500, in a single month at 370,000, and in a single year at 3 million, [1:21:03] not including the known gotaways. Thanks to Secretary Noem and the hard work of Tom Homan [1:21:08] and all the brave men and women at DHS, our new Republican-controlled, [1:21:13] admin has produced the safest and most secure border our country has ever seen. [1:21:19] Thank you very much for that. For the seventh consecutive month, [1:21:23] U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the United States. [1:21:28] Daily average apprehensions at the southern border are 95 percent lower than the daily [1:21:33] average under the last administration. Ten months under Trump has seen less apprehensions [1:21:39] than one month under Biden. [1:21:44] From January 21 through the end of November, there have been 117,105 total enforcement [1:21:52] encounters along the southwest border, which is nearly 40 percent less than the monthly [1:21:57] average during the Biden Administration. Meanwhile, there has been an 8,000 increase in death [1:22:05] threats against ICE law enforcement. Secretary Noem, back in July the department put out a press release titled, [1:22:15] of the worst. Criminal proceedings begin in a case of transgender illegal alien accused [1:22:22] of rape, child rape, not just rape, child rape of a 14-year-old boy in a sanctuary New [1:22:31] York City bathroom. I wanted to highlight this case because it encapsulates so many [1:22:36] different violent policies of Democrats. This is an increase in trans violence with their [1:22:43] embrace of gender ideology, an egregious catch and release policy implemented under the last [1:22:49] four years in sanctuary cities that harbor criminal illegal alien monsters that have [1:22:55] raped and murdered many Americans. Can you discuss further what you're facing in these [1:23:00] sanctuary cities and the illegal alien monsters that have been released into American communities [1:23:06] under the Biden administration? Yeah, unfortunately, Congresswoman, we arrest individuals [1:23:11] like that every day. We arrest them every day. We arrest them every day. We arrest them every [1:23:13] day. We arrest them every day. We arrest them every day. We arrest them every day. We arrest them every [1:23:13] day because they're so prevalent on our streets because of what happened under the Biden [1:23:16] administration. Every day, we're able to go out and encounter and bring to justice individuals [1:23:21] who are raping our children, murdering our mothers, our grandmothers, our families are [1:23:27] devastated by them. And I'm shocked at the Democrats' constant defense of these individual [1:23:32] criminals over the American citizen that is out there just trying to live their lives, put food [1:23:37] on the table and live the American dream. And what we do at the Department of Homeland [1:23:43] Security by making sure that we're out enforcing the law every day is making sure that those [1:23:48] families get a chance to do that. So I'm so grateful for them. The 8,000% increase in death [1:23:53] threats is real. These ICE agents and CBP officers that are out on our streets doing God's work [1:24:00] live in these communities. They live there. These are their families and their neighbors that [1:24:05] they're protecting. And they get up every day and do that job because they believe in their mission. [1:24:09] They take an oath and they are honorable. [1:24:12] I think it's shameful to see the defense of individuals who break our laws. We are a nation [1:24:27] of laws. If we are not a nation of laws, we're no nation at all. And that is what we are doing [1:24:31] every day is following those. If you guys don't like the law, go change it. That's your job. [1:24:35] You don't complain. I was raised by a dad who said we don't complain about things. We fix them. [1:24:39] We'll go fix them. If you don't like the law, quit bellyaching. [1:24:42] Quit hitting and attacking our ICE officers. Quit going out and protesting and screaming [1:24:46] vile things at them. Quit calling them names. We wouldn't let our children do that. Go do [1:24:51] something that actually matters by having an honest debate and changing the law. That's your [1:24:55] jobs. You all should be fired in my viewpoint. I agree. Thank you so much for that, Secretary Noem. [1:25:01] Back in 2021, I was one of only 16 members who voted against the Allies Act of 2021, [1:25:07] which increased the number of special immigrant visas for Afghan nationals. [1:25:12] This brought in over 76,000 Afghans. Director Kent, what actions are being taken to identify [1:25:21] and remove any of the 100,000 Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden admin who may have ties [1:25:28] to terrorism, like the one who shot two National Guard members, tragically killing Sarah Beckstrom [1:25:34] here in Washington, D.C.? I'm sorry, General Lady's time has expired. [1:25:39] Can he just answer quickly? No, we're keeping everything quick to the [1:25:42] five minutes. [1:25:42] I'm sorry, but a gentleman from New York has now recognized Mr. Goldman for five minutes. [1:25:47] Secretary Noem, let's talk about the law. Do you agree that asylum is a lawful pathway to [1:25:54] immigrate to this country? Yes or no? There's an asylum program, yes, in place. [1:25:58] All right. So immigrants then with ongoing asylum applications are legally in this country, [1:26:05] correct? Excuse me, I'm sorry. Your question was? Immigrants with ongoing asylum applications are [1:26:13] legally in this country. [1:26:14] There are individuals in this country that have applications that... [1:26:17] And they are legally here because it's a lawful pathway, right? [1:26:20] It's a lawful pathway. [1:26:22] Okay. So if your department then deports anyone with an ongoing asylum application, [1:26:29] you are violating the law, correct? [1:26:32] Joe Biden left us with... [1:26:33] I'm not asking about Joe Biden. I'm asking you a specific question. [1:26:36] If your department deports anyone with an ongoing asylum application, you are violating the law. [1:26:44] Is that correct? [1:26:45] It was greatly violated when they allowed... [1:26:48] I'm asking you. I'm asking you. [1:26:50] Granted, asylum applications... [1:26:51] Why are you filibustering? Why can't you answer the question? It's a simple question. [1:26:55] If your department deports anyone with an ongoing asylum application, you are violating the law. [1:27:04] Isn't that correct? [1:27:05] The asylum program was broken under the last... [1:27:07] Mr. Chairman, I will reclaim my time. She's not answering the question. [1:27:10] But the obvious answer is that yes. [1:27:14] If you follow a lawful pathway, asylum is a lawful pathway. [1:27:19] If you have an open asylum case, you are here lawfully. [1:27:24] But the problem that we are seeing around the country is that you are not following the law. [1:27:31] Don't tell us to change the law. [1:27:33] If you don't like the asylum system, you change the asylum law. [1:27:37] Bring it to us. We'll work with you. [1:27:38] I think it needs to be changed. [1:27:40] But you can't just decide that you're not going to follow... [1:27:45] We need to change the law, and asylum is a law, and deport people who have ongoing applications. [1:27:50] Unfortunately, that is exactly what's happening. [1:27:53] It's happening across the street from my office right in New York City. [1:27:59] Numerous thousands of people who have come to court appearances have left them with open asylum applications, have been arrested. [1:28:10] And then they've been shipped off and many deported. [1:28:13] In September, one applicant was ripped away from his wife's... [1:28:17] ...and small children after such a court appearance. [1:28:20] And then this happened to his wife. [1:28:22] Please play the video. [1:28:23] No, it's not. [1:28:27] It's not this one. [1:28:31] Alright, it's not this video. [1:28:33] Here it is. [1:28:41] Now, after this incident, your department issued a statement that said, [1:28:49] The officer's conduct in this video is unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE. [1:28:55] Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional status. [1:28:57] Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional status. [1:28:58] And this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation. [1:29:04] Three days later, you reinstated that officer and you put him back on duty. [1:29:09] I sent you a letter and asked you what investigation was done and why was he reinstated. [1:29:16] You did not answer that letter. [1:29:18] So I'm going to give you an opportunity right here to explain to me that if that officer's conduct was, [1:29:24] quote, beneath the men and women of ICE, unquote, why did you reinstate him? [1:29:28] Sir, that investigation was completed. [1:29:32] I can give you that investigation and the information that you would like. [1:29:36] Well, I wrote you two months ago. [1:29:39] Why haven't you given it to me yet? [1:29:40] I'm actually surprised that you haven't gotten it. [1:29:42] I'm going to ask my staff about that. [1:29:44] Well, you shouldn't be surprised because, generally speaking, you do not respond to us. [1:29:48] Now, the other problem that we are seeing all over the country is that your officers are wearing masks, [1:29:55] are dressed in plain clothes, often going around without ID cards. [1:29:58] All of our officers are identified. [1:30:00] I'm not asking a question. [1:30:02] I introduced the No Secret Police Act to stop this. [1:30:05] We now have 113 co-sponsors so that they will not be masked and that they will identify themselves. [1:30:11] Now, you say all of them are identifying themselves. [1:30:14] That is not the case because last month, in New York City again, [1:30:18] the NYPD officers were injured by your masked, plain-clothed ICE officers [1:30:26] after they were called from 911. [1:30:28] From 911, by 911, as residents witnessed your officers pulling individuals out of their vehicles [1:30:36] and chasing them down the street. [1:30:38] I also asked you what happened there. [1:30:40] How were the NYPD officers injured by your officers? [1:30:45] And you didn't respond. [1:30:46] What's the answer? [1:30:47] Sir, our individual officers are identified. [1:30:50] Gentlemen, time has expired. [1:30:53] I recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gonzales, five minutes. [1:30:57] Thank you, Chairman. [1:30:58] Thank you, Secretary Noem. [1:30:59] Thank you, Director Kent and Director Glasson for your patriotism, [1:31:02] your service to our country. [1:31:04] Thank you to the families for allowing everyone to serve. [1:31:07] We're grateful for that. [1:31:08] Democrats like to show clip after clip. [1:31:11] I represent a district that's half of the southern border. [1:31:13] Our lives were turned upside down under Joe Biden, [1:31:17] and now we have our lives back due to President Trump [1:31:20] and due to the policies that you all are executing. [1:31:22] So thank you. [1:31:23] I have one question, but I'm going to try to, if there's time. [1:31:26] I think it would be important for the American people [1:31:28] to get an update on the role Coast Guard played [1:31:30] in the Venezuela oil tanker seizure. [1:31:33] But first, I'd like to thank, once again, thank you for being here. [1:31:36] And so I'd like to first thank you, CISA. [1:31:39] Thank you for keeping our nation's critical infrastructure safe. [1:31:42] You are our nation's cyber first responders. [1:31:45] Thank you to the Coast Guard. [1:31:47] During our Texas floods, you showed up. [1:31:50] Coast Guard showed up. [1:31:51] You saved lives. [1:31:52] Thank you to the Coast Guard for all the work that they've done [1:31:54] in Jayat of South. [1:31:55] They've been the tip of the spear [1:31:57] in the South Com AOR for a long time. [1:32:00] Their work often goes unnoticed. [1:32:03] Thank you, HSI, for leading these anti-gang task force. [1:32:07] They work. [1:32:08] They're going out there. [1:32:09] You're apprehending murderers. [1:32:10] You're apprehending sexual offenders. [1:32:12] You're doing it in a local, state, federal way. [1:32:16] They're working. [1:32:17] Thank you for that. [1:32:18] Thank you, ICE. [1:32:19] Thank you for keeping us safe by deporting all these people. [1:32:21] I really appreciate the innovative idea of DHS [1:32:25] owning its own air power. [1:32:27] It's ridiculous that we had to essentially contract out [1:32:31] in order to have these repatriation flights. [1:32:34] That is a game changer. [1:32:35] Thank you for that. [1:32:36] Thank you, ERO, for adding bed space. [1:32:38] This is exactly how we continue to deport the millions [1:32:42] of convicted criminal aliens that are in this country. [1:32:45] Thank you, NCTC, for keeping us safe. [1:32:48] You're exactly right. [1:32:49] Thank you for vetting, for going out and finally doing the role [1:32:53] of vetting these people. [1:32:55] You and I served a lot. [1:32:56] You and I served overseas. [1:32:58] Many of us did. [1:32:59] And we know oftentimes it was more dangerous at the chow hall [1:33:02] than outside the wire, right? [1:33:05] So thank you for that vetting. [1:33:07] Thank you, Border Patrol, for ending catch and release. [1:33:10] Thank you, TSA, for keeping us safe during all our travel [1:33:15] and then also looking into any future vulnerabilities. [1:33:18] Thank you, Secret Service. [1:33:19] Thank you for not only keeping our leaders safe, [1:33:21] but a lot of people don't realize Secret Service is key [1:33:24] to school safety. [1:33:25] I think that's just so important. [1:33:27] That brings us all together. [1:33:28] I wanted to use the bulk of my time to just thank you [1:33:31] because we don't do that enough here. [1:33:33] It's always finger-pointing. [1:33:34] It's always somebody else's fault. [1:33:36] Please go back to your agencies and thank the men and women [1:33:39] that are serving every day and helping to keep this country safe. [1:33:44] With that, I'd like to give you a little time to talk about [1:33:46] the Venezuelan situation and what the Coast Guard is doing. [1:33:50] The operation that was conducted yesterday morning [1:33:53] was a Coast Guard-led operation. [1:33:55] It was in partnership with the Department of War [1:33:57] and the Department of Justice, the FBI as well, [1:34:00] and it was a successful operation directed by the President [1:34:04] to ensure that we're pushing back on a regime [1:34:06] that is systematically covering and flooding our country [1:34:09] with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans. [1:34:12] Just the drugs that the Coast Guard has been able to interdict [1:34:15] on the waters since President Trump has been in office [1:34:19] has been enough lethal doses of cocaine to kill 177 million Americans. [1:34:24] Thank you. [1:34:25] That's two-thirds of our country that has been saved [1:34:28] by blowing up, by going after and bringing to justice [1:34:31] these individuals that are out at sea and those individuals [1:34:34] that are funding it with a shadow fleet of sanctioned oil [1:34:37] that should never be sold to benefit their profits [1:34:40] and their pockets to kill Americans. [1:34:42] Thank you for that update. [1:34:44] For many of us that served in uniform, oftentimes it was overseas. [1:34:47] It was in the Middle East or it was in Asia or it was in Europe. [1:34:51] And I think those AORs are very important. [1:34:54] But for too long, President after President after President, [1:34:58] our backyard has been left wide open. [1:35:01] And we are completely shocked why all these terrorists [1:35:04] are in our country and all these people are unvetted. [1:35:06] All this chaos is happening when in our own backyard was unsafe. [1:35:10] So thank you again for, one, I know you traveled, [1:35:12] you met with heads of state, El Salvador, Mexico, [1:35:15] a couple that come to mind. [1:35:17] But I just want to thank you for making our backyard a priority [1:35:23] and ultimately to keep Americans safe. [1:35:26] Texans are more safe today than we were a year ago. [1:35:29] And a lot of that is due to President Trump [1:35:31] and due to the leadership that I'm seeing right here [1:35:34] of executing those policies. [1:35:36] Thank you, thank you, thank you. [1:35:37] With that, Chairman, I yield back. [1:35:41] Chairman Yields back. [1:35:42] I now recognize the gentlelady from Illinois, [1:35:44] Ms. Ramirez, for five minutes of questions. [1:35:46] Thank you, Chairman. [1:35:51] American citizens have been arrested or detained. [1:35:54] We focus on those that are here illegally. [1:35:58] Secretary Noem, [1:35:59] you lie and you lie to the American people. [1:36:02] I will be including into the record an article by ProPublica [1:36:05] from October 16, 2025 entitled, [1:36:08] We found that more than 170 U.S. citizens [1:36:11] have been held by immigration agents. [1:36:14] They've been kicked. [1:36:15] There's nothing smiling about U.S. citizens. [1:36:17] I'm sorry, that's very inappropriate. [1:36:19] Let me continue. [1:36:20] They've been kicked, dragged, and detained for days. [1:36:23] Next one. [1:36:28] The Trump administration has specifically targeted [1:36:31] the worst of the worst. [1:36:32] The individuals that we are going after [1:36:34] are those that are violent criminals, [1:36:36] those that are breaking our laws. [1:36:39] Do you, Secretary Noem, [1:36:41] again, you lied to the American people. [1:36:44] I will be including into the article, [1:36:46] into the record an article by the NBC News [1:36:49] from December 7, 2025 entitled, [1:36:51] ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people [1:36:55] with no criminal records, data shows. [1:36:57] The co-equal branch of government, [1:37:08] and it is your obligation as a member [1:37:10] of the executive branch to honor decisions made [1:37:13] by the highest court of the land. [1:37:15] Yes or no, Secretary? [1:37:18] Yes. [1:37:19] We are abiding by all federal judges' orders. [1:37:21] Absolutely. [1:37:22] So the Justice Department said [1:37:23] that when the administration was ordered back in March [1:37:25] to stop sending detained migrants [1:37:28] to a mega-prison in El Salvador, [1:37:30] you personally made the final call [1:37:33] to continue the flights anyway. [1:37:34] Is that correct? [1:37:35] And the decisions that are made on deportations, [1:37:37] where flights go and when they go [1:37:39] are my decision at the Department of Homeland Security. [1:37:41] We'll continue to do the right thing, [1:37:43] continue to work and protect Americans [1:37:47] no matter what radical judge comes out [1:37:49] and tries to stop us. [1:37:51] You lied on the record, [1:37:56] and you lied to members of this committee. [1:37:59] You violated court orders [1:38:01] by not turning around deportation flights [1:38:03] bound for El Salvador, [1:38:04] where we know that hundreds of people [1:38:06] under your leadership [1:38:08] have reported that they were raped, [1:38:09] they were beaten, and they nearly died. [1:38:11] And your agents used chemical weapons in Chicago [1:38:14] despite court orders [1:38:16] from district court judges [1:38:18] forbidding their use. [1:38:21] Secretary Noem, [1:38:22] you, Gregory Bovino, [1:38:24] and your ICBP and DHS deputized agents [1:38:28] have waged an unaccountable, unlawful, [1:38:32] unconstitutional war [1:38:33] against communities across the nation. [1:38:36] Our residents have been surveilled, [1:38:38] they've been threatened, [1:38:39] they've been tear gassed, [1:38:40] they've been hit with pepper balls, [1:38:41] they've been shot, [1:38:42] they've been subjected to warrantless arrest [1:38:44] and precision in mobilization maneuvers, [1:38:47] they've been kidnapped, [1:38:48] and disappeared under your leadership. [1:38:50] So we have a lot to talk about, [1:38:52] but you and your department [1:38:54] continue to reject congressional oversight. [1:38:56] And you know how I know this? [1:38:58] I know this because I've requested a meeting [1:39:00] with ICE Field Office Director Russell Haught, [1:39:02] I requested a meeting with [1:39:04] Field Office Director Samuel Olson, [1:39:06] and when you came to Chicago on October 3rd, [1:39:08] I publicly and formally [1:39:10] requested a meeting with you. [1:39:12] So I'm going to be including a letter [1:39:14] I sent on October 3rd [1:39:15] requesting a meeting with Secretary Noem. [1:39:17] So Secretary Noem, [1:39:19] I want to ask you again, [1:39:21] will you commit to meet with me, [1:39:23] yes or no? [1:39:25] Yes, absolutely. [1:39:26] Thank you, thank you. [1:39:27] So we have a lot to talk about, [1:39:28] and actually my scheduler has a couple dates [1:39:30] that I'll get to you after this meeting. [1:39:32] I appreciate that. [1:39:33] So look, I want to be very clear. [1:39:35] You have misused resources [1:39:38] appropriated by Congress, [1:39:40] you've engaged in unethical behavior, [1:39:43] you have repeatedly made false [1:39:45] and misleading statements [1:39:46] to Congress and to the press, [1:39:47] and you've undermined the separation of powers [1:39:49] and disregarded the role of Congress [1:39:51] in the courts. [1:39:52] Bottom line, [1:39:53] you lie with impunity, [1:39:55] you reject checks and balances, [1:39:56] and you ignore Congress and the courts. [1:39:58] Your options are limited. [1:39:59] Either you're going to resign, [1:40:01] Trump's going to fire you, [1:40:02] or you will be impeached. [1:40:04] I've already called for your resignation. [1:40:05] You may remember I hand-delivered [1:40:07] my request to you back in May, [1:40:09] and I urge you to reconsider resignation [1:40:11] because I've taken the first step [1:40:13] towards your impeachment, [1:40:14] and I've called on the Judiciary Committee [1:40:16] to open an investigation into your lawlessness. [1:40:20] Mr. Chairman, I know that at the end [1:40:22] we'll be entering a number of articles into consent, [1:40:24] but since I have a few moments, [1:40:26] I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record [1:40:28] a letter calling the Judiciary Committee [1:40:31] to investigate Secretary Noem's impeachable offenses. [1:40:34] Whatever you choose, [1:40:37] the American people will have justice, [1:40:39] Secretary, [1:40:40] and you will be held accountable. [1:40:42] I'm going to make sure of that [1:40:44] every single day. [1:40:45] With that, Mr. Chair, [1:40:46] I yield. [1:40:47] I yield back. [1:40:49] The gentlelady yields back. [1:40:50] I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, [1:40:51] Mr. Luttrell, [1:40:52] for five minutes of questions. [1:40:53] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, [1:40:54] Madam Secretary. [1:40:55] It's good to see you, [1:40:57] and thank you again for coming to Texas [1:40:58] after the Kerrville floods. [1:41:00] Your team was amazing. [1:41:03] Their interaction with the leadership [1:41:05] in our state, [1:41:06] up and down the chain of command, [1:41:07] was outstanding. [1:41:12] Not something I read about. [1:41:13] I saw it. [1:41:14] So I'm speaking from the truth. [1:41:17] So let's talk about worldwide threats, [1:41:20] if you don't mind. [1:41:21] This may go back and forth [1:41:22] to Mr. Glashine [1:41:23] and Mr. Kent. [1:41:24] My questions, [1:41:25] first and foremost, [1:41:26] is the nefarious actors globally, [1:41:30] they're kind of everywhere. [1:41:36] And as we try to protect the motherland [1:41:39] in a cyberspace, [1:41:41] air, sea, and land, [1:41:43] something's come to my attention [1:41:44] in the committee we had, [1:41:45] committee hearing we had earlier, [1:41:47] undersea cabling. [1:41:48] And I don't know if you have, [1:41:50] if you're a subject matter expert on this. [1:41:51] I really wasn't until this hearing. [1:41:53] But a large amount of our information [1:41:55] flows under the water. [1:41:56] Something that most people aren't aware of, [1:41:59] but I can assure you [1:42:00] that the bad actors globally probably are. [1:42:01] Now, it's multi-jurisdictional [1:42:02] from what I understand. [1:42:03] It's the Department of Justice, [1:42:04] it's the Department of War, [1:42:06] and then it's the Department of Homeland Security. [1:42:07] And they kind of juggle these, [1:42:08] kind of juggle the effort. [1:42:09] Can you give me some insight [1:42:10] on the protection mechanism [1:42:11] that Homeland Security has [1:42:12] for our undersea cabling? [1:42:13] And do you, [1:42:14] I consider this a very viable threat [1:42:15] to specifically protect the motherland. [1:42:16] I mean, [1:42:17] you know, [1:42:18] I've been in the military [1:42:19] for a long time. [1:42:20] I've been in the military [1:42:21] for a long time. [1:42:22] I've been in the military [1:42:24] for a long time. [1:42:25] I've been in the military [1:42:26] for a long time. [1:42:27] And I think it's a very viable threat [1:42:28] to specifically for information flow, [1:42:31] considering everything that goes [1:42:32] back and forth across the water. [1:42:34] Can you give me a kind of [1:42:36] a high-level briefing [1:42:37] considering the atmosphere [1:42:39] of what we're looking at? [1:42:40] Yes, I can, [1:42:41] and I'll try to leave some time [1:42:42] for the other individuals too, [1:42:44] but the Department of Homeland Security [1:42:45] has 23 different components. [1:42:47] Several of them have some responsibility [1:42:48] for surveillance and monitoring [1:42:50] of those cables [1:42:51] and the information [1:42:52] that flows through them. [1:42:53] So CISA is our cybersecurity agency [1:42:55] which looks for bad actors [1:42:56] looks for bad actors hunts down those bad actors and then hardens our systems so where we see a [1:43:01] weakness or a vulnerability they help us do that with the interactions we have with private [1:43:05] companies their communications or other countries but then we also have our coast guard our coast [1:43:11] guard out on the waters each and every day which help us with surveillance activities to see if [1:43:15] there's nefarious actors that would be out there jeopardizing those systems we have ina which is [1:43:20] our intelligence and analysis they are the ones that are helping us with our covert operations [1:43:25] they're the ones who are coordinating with our intelligence agencies on what we see [1:43:29] as hacking attempts or enemies that would try to endanger those cables or cut them [1:43:36] damage them so that they couldn't be utilized to keep our critical infrastructure going [1:43:40] fema is the agency that's responsible for on our worst day if we needed something or someone to [1:43:46] run the government if there was an attack in this country fema is the agency that would do that [1:43:51] and maintains the resources to making sure that that we have [1:43:55] operating government in an emergency disaster situation i know there's redundancy on the [1:43:59] cabling system and there's over from what i understand there's over a million miles of cable [1:44:04] underwater um i want to make sure that we have enough protection in place so the ripple effect [1:44:14] is not catastrophic to the country um mr kent you got something that i was going to shift over [1:44:19] to mr glachine in terms of undersea cabling no i i do not okay mr guccini a question for you so as [1:44:28] human trafficking, drug trafficking. This always hurts me to say this, but Houston, Texas is in my [1:44:36] district, and it is the worst city in the country for sex trafficking in the country. I just cannot [1:44:46] believe that. What is the FBI doing amongst other agencies? You just happen to sit here in front of [1:44:53] me. And Madam Secretary, you can probably jump in on this too. Enough's enough. I understand [1:44:59] the complexities of the World Wide Web and how these bastards are doing this, and we can't seem [1:45:07] to grab a hold of them. What's the answer? Our HSI investigators specialize in child trafficking [1:45:18] and human trafficking. They get up every single day and hunt down those individuals that victimize [1:45:24] our children and partner with non-profits and other agencies with the FBI to do that. Yes, [1:45:28] it's shocking to me that Houston is one of the hotbeds as well. We need to take a better look [1:45:34] at this because we're losing. [1:45:35] I mean, we're losing so bad, I don't even know how to define it. And this has been happening. I said [1:45:44] this exact same thing to Mr. Mayorkas, and if I was here before that, I'd say the same thing again. [1:45:47] It's just, we have not figured it out. Mr. Gosheen, you got anything for that? Yeah, I would tell you, [1:45:53] it's been a priority with this director. And, you know, so far this year, compared to last year, [1:45:58] we have 300 plus human traffickers arrested, up 15 percent. I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Chairman, I'll get [1:46:03] back. I appreciate that. And I'll catch you after the class. If one of the following witnesses wants [1:46:07] to give him some time to answer that very much. [1:46:10] That's a very important question. They could do that. Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the [1:46:14] gentleman from New York, Mr. Kennedy, for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary Noem, [1:46:19] with about a year as DHS secretary under your belt, there's no shortage of criticisms for me [1:46:24] to choose from today. You've deported American citizens, bringing a level of inhumanity to this [1:46:30] nation's immigration laws that I haven't seen in my lifetime. You've terrorized communities, [1:46:36] including my own in Buffalo, New York, vowing to go after the worst of the worst, but instead [1:46:41] containing women, children and hardworking individuals in pursuit of the American dream. [1:46:46] You've botched a response to one of the most devastating floods we've seen, an extreme weather [1:46:51] event along the Guadalupe River that took more than 130 innocent lives, including more than [1:46:56] 35 children. Central Texas waited days for your agency to respond because of the reckless policies [1:47:04] you've implemented. Your FEMA lead was missing in action, completely unreachable, as were FEMA's [1:47:11] call lines. [1:47:12] 84% of calls unanswered on July 7th, three days after the floods. FEMA personnel, despite your [1:47:19] slashing of their ranks, who were ready and willing to help, waited days to spring into [1:47:25] action because of your policies. Disasters do not wait for bureaucracy. Your abysmal performance [1:47:32] goes beyond your woeful disaster response. You've also taken a sledgehammer to FEMA's recovery [1:47:38] preparedness and mitigation missions. You canceled more than $4 billion in [1:47:43] funding for the FEMA Emergency Alerting Infrastructure Fund, a program that helps communities reduce [1:47:49] their risk of natural disasters. You withheld millions in FEMA funds for emergency alerting [1:47:56] infrastructure found to be in violation of the Impound Control Act. You, perhaps most critical [1:48:03] to my state of New York, canceled more than 90% of New York State's Homeland Security Program funding, [1:48:11] including $134 million in urgent infrastructure. You've also taken a sledgehammer to FEMA's recovery [1:48:15] preparedness and mitigation missions. You've also canceled more than $4 billion in Flexible [1:48:18] Safety Program funding, including $14 billion in SBIS enrollment, and $40 billion for the [1:48:21] New York State Community First study. You have mismanaged these funds to the point where [1:48:23] cities and states, including New York, are suing you to recover counter-terrorism funding [1:48:28] that's lawfully theirs and that Congress intended for them to receive. You've also [1:48:33] ý it's a tragedy that we're here today discussing these cuts to counter-terrorism [1:48:37] and security grant funds for a city that was the main site of the September 11th attacks, [1:48:42] and the entire reason your department is concerned about the state of New York is that you don't [1:48:43] respect these safety and security grants, and it's absolutely not good for us. I have [1:48:44] seen a lot of these cuts and every way I can see them coming to the state of New York. [1:48:45] was established in the first place. [1:48:48] As the ranking member of the Subcommittee [1:48:50] on Emergency Management, it's my responsibility [1:48:53] to show the American public how you've systemically [1:48:56] upended FEMA in emergency preparedness as we know it. [1:49:00] So I have a couple of questions. [1:49:02] Simple yes or no answer will suffice. [1:49:04] Would you agree with the National Security [1:49:06] Officials' assessment that the United States [1:49:08] has been operating in a heightened threat environment [1:49:11] for several years now? [1:49:14] Yes. [1:49:16] Yes or no? [1:49:16] Would you say New York City is susceptible to these kinds [1:49:19] of security threats? [1:49:20] Yes, and that's why they should spend the $440 million [1:49:23] they had in these firsts that the federal government gave [1:49:27] them to use to secure their city, which they did not spend. [1:49:31] They did not spend the hundreds of millions of dollars [1:49:33] they had to secure their city. [1:49:35] And the police criminal code was created each and every day. [1:49:38] $134 million in urban area security initiative funding [1:49:42] for the city of New York. [1:49:44] What compelled you to knowingly make [1:49:46] our cities less safe with these funding cuts? [1:49:48] What compels you, your mayor, and your governor [1:49:51] to release thousands of criminals on the streets [1:49:54] rather than to turn them over to ICE? [1:49:55] You'd rather release a murderer out onto your street [1:49:58] Secretary Noem, you cut $134 million in funds [1:50:02] to support the security of New York City [1:50:05] and the state of New York, the number one threat [1:50:08] in this nation. [1:50:09] In your own words, your cuts are blatantly political, callous, [1:50:13] and outright dangerous. [1:50:14] It's clear. [1:50:15] You have no interest. [1:50:16] You have no interest in countering real threats [1:50:18] in the homeland. [1:50:20] While high risk cities and disaster zones wait for help, [1:50:23] you've devoted the past 11 months of violent raids, [1:50:26] anti-police policies, and nonstop photo ops. [1:50:30] You've brought shame to a department that [1:50:32] was created after 9-11 in a time of unity to protect our people. [1:50:38] Your failure to lead is a direct threat to the homeland security [1:50:41] in our nation, and you should resign immediately. [1:50:45] I yield back. [1:50:47] Gentleman yields back. [1:50:48] I now recognize the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Strong, [1:50:51] for five minutes of questions. [1:50:53] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ranking member, [1:50:55] and members of this committee. [1:50:57] I thank you too to our witnesses for being here today [1:51:00] for your work to protect the homeland in an increasingly [1:51:03] complex threat environment. [1:51:05] My question today focuses specifically [1:51:07] on the evolving drone threat. [1:51:09] Mr. Glashine, the FBI's National Counter UAS Training Center [1:51:16] at Redstone Arsenal, is now a member of the National Counter [1:51:17] UAS Training Center. [1:51:18] It is the center for preparing federal, state, and local partners for drone threats at major [1:51:23] events. [1:51:25] What makes Redstone Arsenal such an effective location for this mission, and how does that [1:51:30] setting support the scale of training required for World Cup, America 250, and the 2028 Olympics? [1:51:38] Thank you for your question, Congressman. [1:51:41] What makes Redstone a great partner for us is, one, the support that we have from Congress, [1:51:46] number two, the space we have. [1:51:47] The FBI has been in Huntsville for a long time. [1:51:53] Huntsville also houses our Special Agent Bomb Technician program. [1:51:57] We train bomb technicians, EOD professionals across the United States, and we model the [1:52:02] Counter UAS school off of that. [1:52:06] So that proof of concept has been in place, and we're mirroring that process to train [1:52:09] the Counter UAS operators. [1:52:10] Thank you. [1:52:11] I was there for the inaugural graduation. [1:52:12] I'm telling you, it was most impressive. [1:52:15] I can assure you there's no other location in the country that offers a better training [1:52:18] that offers the same mix of controlled airspace, testing ranges, partnered agencies, and mission [1:52:24] infrastructure that the FBI has at Redstone Arsenal. [1:52:27] Counter UAS has the ability in Huntsville to jam, block, drop, intercept, and do forensics. [1:52:34] As demand for this specialized training grows, what investment should Congress prioritize [1:52:39] to ensure long-term stability for this mission at Redstone? [1:52:43] I'd say yesterday, or the legislation in front of, I think, the Senate right now for the [1:52:50] CIA, for the authorities, that'd be the first step to give us the ability to lawfully use [1:52:55] the Counter UAS authorities. [1:52:57] I think additionally, it's just like the computer technology, it evolves with the months. [1:53:04] So the Counter UAS technology is going to change, so have the appropriate funding and [1:53:07] support to stay up with that technology so we can mitigate the threats that our nation [1:53:11] faces. [1:53:12] Thank you. [1:53:13] Those graduates were from all over the country, and it was most impressive. [1:53:16] Secretary Noem, this committee has failed to thank you for your faithful service. [1:53:18] Thank you. [1:53:19] Thank you. [1:53:20] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. [1:53:21] Come on ahead, and say something? [1:53:22] I'm not going to say anything. [1:53:23] I'll let you go first. [1:53:24] No, it's just, it's a good private service to America. [1:53:25] The southern border is closed. [1:53:26] Human smugglers, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens that invaded this country from more [1:53:28] than 160 different countries are being returned to the country of their origin. [1:53:34] Fentanyl poisonings are down more than 35 percent. [1:53:37] Secretary Noem, thank you for your efforts to keep these drugs out of our country in [1:53:43] an effort to save a generation of Americans. [1:53:46] It's not a Republican issue. [1:53:48] It's not a Democratic issue. [1:53:49] It's an American issue. And I thank you. Secretary, know many of the most advanced counter unmanned aerial systems technologies are being tested and evaluated in North Alabama. How is DHS ensuring that those capabilities transition quickly into field use, particularly ahead of these major events? And what more can Congress do to accelerate the pipeline? [1:54:12] No, we appreciate the authorities that are necessary for us to operate and standing up a drone program and counter drone program is one of the top three priorities of the department this next year to meet the threats that we face every day. Every day, our Secret Service, our Coast Guard, our Border Patrol are seeing drones use against them. Criminals using them to surveil them to find out law enforcement operations and to leak them and to put their lives in danger. So making sure that we have the ability to operate and to [1:54:43] see far into the future and over our operations is important, but we also need the opportunity to take them down when necessary. We've seen the cartels using weaponized drones against each other. We know it's only a matter of time before we see that here on the homeland. My job is to make sure that we're prepared and that we're equipped and to advocate to you for the authorities that we need to make that happen. Thank you. With the new counter UAS authorities expected to be enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the next challenge is execution. What concrete [1:55:13] questions do you have for us? [1:55:13] Are there any projects that we could incorporate into our relations, any strategic steps is DHS planning to take in the coming months to ensure that these new authorities are fully operational before the FIFA World Cup, the Olympics, and America 250? And I even want to take it even further. You start looking at college football. We've got to take it even further rather than they're all large gathering events. I actually had the Secretary of Security of the Southeastern Conference before Mr. Kennedy and my committee, and it was unbelievable. On any given weekend, eight to 10 football games were played. [1:55:43] stadiums with greater than 90 000 people there we must defend the home front uh and i'm sorry [1:55:49] that my time has expired but i thank you for being before this committee today gentlemen yields i now [1:55:55] recognize gentle lady from new jersey miss mcgyver for five minutes of questions thank you mr chairman [1:56:00] and ranking member for holding this hearing today the greatest threat to the homeland right now is a [1:56:06] department of homeland security that the american people no longer trust a department actively [1:56:12] undermined by its own secretary this is on you secretary gnome today's hearing is supposed to [1:56:18] be about what worldwide threats but madam secretary under your watch the threat is coming [1:56:23] from inside the building because when dhs the department charged with keeping americans safe [1:56:28] is called breaking the law lying to the american public systematically dismantling oversight [1:56:35] fueling bigotry and targeting vulnerable communities trust is broken let's start with the [1:56:41] basics how can we change the way we think about our communities and how can we change the way we [1:56:42] think about our communities and how can we change the way we think about our communities trust your department [1:56:43] with you at the helm the american people deserve an answer even if you spent the past year dodging [1:56:50] accountability like it's your full-time job we need to talk about oversight oversight is not [1:56:56] optional it is not a courtesy because you feel like it it is not something you entertain only [1:57:03] when it's politically convenient to you yet time and time again secretary gnome you have treated [1:57:09] congressional oversight as an inconvenience at best and [1:57:13] at worst something to be invaded ignored or denied altogether republicans on this committee [1:57:19] may be willing to hand over their constitutional duty in order to kiss this administration's butt [1:57:25] cheeks but i am not i will never my district is not and the american people sure aren't [1:57:33] while republicans turn this hearing into a praise fest for your failed 10-year community [1:57:38] your felt 10-year communities across america including mine in new jersey are made less [1:57:44] safe because dhs under your leadership has become unproductive and malicious all of the thank you [1:57:50] thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you that we keep hearing from across the aisle [1:57:54] there's no thank you from me and we see the truth that you're trying to hide the truth is you are [1:58:00] deeply unqualified for the post you hold this is on full display in the way you treat the people [1:58:06] in this body myself included who have been elected to serve our communities and keep them safe [1:58:14] and put people back to where they belong to all of us want you to join us in our political battle [1:58:17] fair uh unconstitutional and unconstitutional i'm with you thank you and i'm with dave as far as [1:58:22] i'm concerned i want to thank each of you as also as an award goes out to all of the people who made [1:58:27] this happen and i'm also grateful to all of the people who made this happen and to the acts of [1:58:31] police inspector java senator padilla myself and others whose character integrity and bodies were [1:58:37] attacked by your department without evidence and without apology far beyond this far beyond being [1:58:44] members of our communities, and even American citizens, as many of my colleagues have continued [1:58:49] to point out today. Secretary Noem, that's not leadership. That's not democracy. And that is not [1:58:57] how this works. Again, this is not just about you. Don't want you to think this is just a pick on [1:59:03] you day. This is about the Trump administration that has turned DHS into a political weapon. [1:59:09] So I'll ask you this. Is Trump embarrassed by your tenure, or is this exactly the kind of [1:59:16] god-awful leadership he wants at DHS? Yes or no? Ma'am, we've already conducted more oversight [1:59:22] visits. No, no, no. It's a yes or no. Yes or no. Okay, Secretary Noem, this is my time to talk, [1:59:29] not your time to talk. I reclaim my time. I reclaim my time. I reclaim my time. [1:59:35] I reclaim my time. Secretary Noem, DHS is breaking. [1:59:42] Breaking the law, hiding information from Congress, and shutting out oversight. So let me [1:59:47] ask you, how can the American people trust your department with you at the helm with this kind [1:59:52] of behavior? The American people absolutely trust this department to keep them safe. And we are [1:59:58] showing that every day by the support we get across the country, the amount of people that [2:00:02] we're recruiting to all of our different agencies. Thank you, Secretary Noem. Do you agree that using [2:00:06] DHS resources to target members of Congress is an abuse of power? Excuse me, would you say [2:00:12] that again? You would have heard me if you stopped talking and listened to my questions. [2:00:16] Do you agree that using DHS resources to target members of Congress is an abuse of power? We are [2:00:22] not doing that. We are out there enforcing the law, doing our work, and we are allowing oversight. [2:00:27] Of course, we're not going to get any answers. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. [2:00:32] General Lee yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. McKean, [2:00:36] for five minutes of questions. It's no wonder that chaos has become the commonplace, [2:00:44] when rudeness is so on display. You know, look, it's both sides. We've created a lack of civility [2:00:50] in this country. But we're perpetuating in this society what your administration is trying to [2:01:00] correct, and that is returning back to the rule of law. What separates us from falling into chaos [2:01:05] as a nation, where poverty envelops us, is when we return to order and a display of respect towards [2:01:14] law enforcement. And I think that's what we're doing. I think that's what we're doing. I think that's [2:01:14] what we're doing. I think that's what we're doing. I think that's what we're doing. I think that's [2:01:14] what we're doing. I think that's what we're doing. I think that's what we're doing. [2:01:15] A display of respect to officials. Look, this custom, and you've been a member of Congress, [2:01:22] of where we talk over people and we don't give secretaries a chance to respond. The height [2:01:29] of self-importance that too many people try to employ in this building, not remembering we're [2:01:35] all here as public servants to serve the people. We lift our hearts up far beyond our fellow [2:01:41] countrymen. I'll tell you who says thank you. It's those whose families that were the [2:01:45] victim of assaults and rapes and murders under the auto opinion period the last four years. [2:01:52] They say thank you. Those who see the madness of lawlessness, the lack of respect to law enforcement, [2:01:58] the heightened element of law enforcement sitting in their vehicles and being targeted say thank you. [2:02:05] Those families of law enforcement whose addresses are being put out in public so they can intimidate [2:02:12] not only the law enforcement officials but their families to try to put them into a place of fear [2:02:16] say thank you for common sense returning back into this country. [2:02:20] If we do not have a respect of authority, a respect of law enforcement, [2:02:24] thank you for allowing arrests to happen when someone spits at law enforcement. [2:02:30] Thank you. [2:02:32] FEMA, you were assaulted a minute ago verbally over what you're doing with FEMA. [2:02:37] I will tell you as somebody that comes from a state that has more tornadoes, Oklahoma, [2:02:41] than probably any other state, thank you for looking at how we can save, [2:02:44] save money through efficiencies. [2:02:47] Our state would love the opportunity of what this administration is talking about, [2:02:50] of returning power and decision-making back to states. [2:02:52] As I've said to you before, of a person who sat on a bulldozer watching the madness [2:02:56] of trying to comply with EPA regs that have built their way into FEMA and people's homes destroyed, [2:03:02] and as a state lawmaker pushing timber around on a dozer trying to comply [2:03:06] and taking the time off from time of exercise as a lawmaker trying to help people, [2:03:11] and I saw the craziness of federal regulations. [2:03:14] Thank you for looking and not taking your foot off the gas of trying to put more money back [2:03:19] into national security from the waste that has happened through endless regs. [2:03:25] All right, now I'm going to get to a question, Secretary. [2:03:26] Can I say something about FEMA? [2:03:27] Absolutely you can. [2:03:28] Thank you. [2:03:29] The only grants that weren't funded, the individual ones that you were talking [2:03:33] about mitigation ahead were ones that were weaponized to fund the Green New Deal [2:03:38] and for climate change, and those were rededucted to true mitigation efforts. [2:03:42] FEMA today is deploying resources two times faster. [2:03:46] On average than in history, which means the dollars are going [2:03:48] out twice as fast than they ever have before, and the President, [2:03:52] as soon as these disasters are happening, is deploying those resources to Republican [2:03:55] and Democrat states, New Mexico, Texas, Alaska. [2:04:00] They're all getting dollars immediately, and we're responding immediately to our people. [2:04:03] I have to actually leave this hearing early [2:04:06] because the FEMA Review Council is giving their report today on suggestions for changes to FEMA. [2:04:11] Thank you for not taking your foot off the gas on that. [2:04:13] I have to co-chair it, but I will be leaving soon [2:04:16] to have to go do that, but those suggestions are Republicans [2:04:19] and Democrats coming forward with how FEMA should go forward in the future based [2:04:23] on the President's vision for making sure that states get the chance to manage it [2:04:27] and that local emergency managers get the chance to go [2:04:30] and help their communities in a much more efficient way. [2:04:32] Take those monies and let's move them to true national security through waste [2:04:35] and inefficiencies, where we've deployed money for snow movement. [2:04:40] We have deployed money previously to move snow that melts. [2:04:45] Okay. [2:04:45] I want to just. [2:04:47] Throw this open to you and Director Kent, whoever wants to take this. [2:04:52] We have to find a balance between making sure the First Amendment is preserved at all costs, [2:04:57] but also protecting law enforcement. [2:05:00] The social media heightened of a hearing that the Chairman held last week, great hearing. [2:05:05] How do we preserve? [2:05:06] What ideas can we continue with to where the online enticement threats, causing people to want [2:05:13] to embolden themselves to then go active? [2:05:17] Okay. [2:05:17] So, we have to be able to act upon those threats that we see on social media. [2:05:20] They say the magic words. [2:05:21] They know it's not going to get them because they don't do a direct threat, but it's an indirect threat. [2:05:25] It's always trying to accomplish the same purpose. [2:05:27] How do we preserve the First Amendment? [2:05:29] This is a lawmaking exercise of why we hold these hearings, not for show. [2:05:33] How do we come up with a way to preserve the First Amendment and stop the insanity [2:05:38] of these indirect threats that are going after your law enforcement officials? [2:05:41] I apologize. [2:05:46] The gentleman's time is expired. [2:05:47] I know the Secretary has to leave. [2:05:49] And I would now like to thank the Secretary. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:50] Thank you. [2:05:51] My other question. [2:05:51] Yes. [2:05:51] Hi, Mr. Chairman, do you recognize a gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Johnson, for five minutes [2:05:56] of questions? [2:06:02] I'm just going to take the position that she was scared of my questions. [2:06:07] Mr. Chairman, if we could stop the clock and wait until after all this. [2:06:11] Clerk will suspend. [2:06:12] If we could reset the time, that would be helpful. [2:06:16] We'll reset the clock. [2:06:26] Gentlelady, prepared for this? [2:07:07] Okay. [2:07:08] Thank you. [2:07:09] Gentlelady is recognized. [2:07:10] Yeah. [2:07:10] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [2:07:12] You know, I just want to respond to a lot of what Secretary Noem has just testified [2:07:19] to. [2:07:19] to. And gentlemen, I have some comments that I hope you'll take back to the secretary and to [2:07:28] the department. If there's anything that is clear about what is going on in this country is that [2:07:35] the rhetoric and fear that is happening is at an all-time escalated high. And we're all describing [2:07:43] different aspects of it. Fear of law enforcement, fear of citizens, fear of people who are legally [2:07:48] in this country. Because it's the rhetoric that is happening from the very top that is being [2:07:55] decimated down level. And that is really, really dangerous. And one of the things that the secretary [2:08:02] said was she is restoring the rule of law. That is absolutely not true. Because the rule of law [2:08:10] is founded on two fundamental principles. That if you are going to be subject to a criminal arrest [2:08:18] in this country, that there is probable cause to do so. [2:08:21] You can't just snatch somebody walking into a coffee shop because of the color of their skin. [2:08:29] There's no probable cause for that. And also, that you will get due process. And that is not [2:08:36] happening. And so what you're seeing is an overwhelming frustration of the American people [2:08:44] in this country that the lack of respect and regard for the rule of law by this administration, [2:08:51] and in particular, by this secretary, [2:08:55] is at a level that we have never seen and violates all of the constitutional norms and [2:09:01] all of the principles of legal fairness in this country. And you're seeing that manifest itself [2:09:09] in threats to law enforcement and bubbling over because people are frustrated. And they are [2:09:17] channeling that frustration because the administration is not listening and is only [2:09:21] doubling down on the rhetoric. You know, this notion that [2:09:28] the government does not appreciate the Springs and the [2:09:43] sea routes and the [2:09:46] coastlines and the [2:09:50] border, as one of the state's most� [2:09:53] members pointed out, is not a threat to this country. The way it looks to me is that this statement gets passed to a new administration. But that's not true. And this is what we saw in the White House, which to my faith, is not true. I think my colleagues highlighted [2:09:54] a probable cause. They're not a threat to this country. They have no criminal history at all. [2:10:02] I fully support, as does everyone on this committee, homeland security focusing on threats [2:10:09] to our national security. We want cyber security. We want terroristic threats from abroad to be [2:10:16] stopped. Absolutely. None of us want a recreation of 9-11, but we also do not want under any level [2:10:24] the trampling of our constitutional rights and the legal system of due process. We had, [2:10:30] I have a poster here to highlight three American citizens that were arrested by ICE, who had done [2:10:37] nothing wrong. They presented themselves as American citizens, but yet were still trampled, [2:10:44] assault. One had broken ribs, a brain injury. An older gentleman, by being knocked down to the [2:10:50] ground after he said, I'm an American citizen, but yet they did not. [2:10:54] And that is a huge problem. When somebody says, I'm an American citizen to ICE, and ICE does not [2:11:00] stop and continues to assault them and physically berate them and then hold them for days and days [2:11:07] on end without a due process hearing, that is a problem. And it is not stopping. We have brought [2:11:15] these concerns to the secretary and to agencies like yourself in these hearings time and time [2:11:20] again through multiple letters. We've all written letters that have gone unresponded. [2:11:25] Because this cannot happen in our country. And the reality of it is in any law enforcement [2:11:32] situation and what we have happening out into the public is there are ICE agents and there are [2:11:38] Border Patrol agents that are doing a great job. They're doing what they're supposed to do. [2:11:43] But they're also bad actors. There are people who are exceeding their authority. The power's [2:11:48] gone to their head. The intimidation is outrageous. And there's no effort to rein them in by the FBI. [2:11:54] There's no effort to rein them in by the... [2:11:56] Homeland Security. There's no effort to overcorrect, just like one of my colleagues highlighted, [2:12:01] the reinstate. I hope you take these concerns back because they need to be addressed if we're [2:12:05] going to address the violence in this country. I yield back. [2:12:08] Gentlelady yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Creighton. [2:12:12] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this committee hearing today. Thank you for the witnesses. [2:12:19] Director Kent, you talked about what keeps you up at night. I believe you said we don't know [2:12:24] who came into the country in the last four years. And we've cited several times in this hearing that [2:12:30] about 15 to 20 million people came into this country under the last administration. [2:12:36] And something that you said actually shocked me. You said that 18,000 known and suspected [2:12:42] terrorists entered into the country during the Biden administration. Is that correct? [2:12:48] That's correct. [2:12:49] That's deeply concerning, but I'm really not surprised many of us in this committee said [2:12:53] that's exactly what was going to happen. [2:12:56] I didn't know that. [2:12:56] Those numbers would be as high as they are. One of the other things that really concerns me about [2:13:02] what's going on in this country is we continue to let people into this country that do not want [2:13:07] to assimilate to our culture and want to harm Americans. I want to go ahead and play a video. [2:13:20] I should be above the U.S. Constitution. Yes. Yes. Should Sharia law be over the U.S. Constitution? [2:13:26] Yes. The U.S. Constitution, which is made by people and the Sharia law is made by Allah. [2:13:31] So that is all the way above. That has to be. [2:13:34] Definitely in the land, not for the America, for the whole world would be above. [2:13:38] So that should be above the U.S. Constitution. [2:13:41] Yes. [2:13:41] Do you feel more comfortable living under American law or do you feel more comfortable living under [2:13:46] Sharia law? [2:13:50] Sharia law. [2:13:52] I'm a Muslim. I prefer Sharia law. [2:13:54] Sharia law. Yes. [2:13:56] You prefer Sharia law over American law? [2:14:00] Of course. [2:14:00] They always can come with the same accusations. [2:14:05] This speaker, [2:14:06] this speaker supports death penalty for homosexuals. [2:14:10] This speaker supports death penalty for this crime or this crime or that he is homophobic. [2:14:17] These are general views that every Muslim actually has. [2:14:22] Every Muslim believes in these things. [2:14:24] If the law of the land is Islamic, we respect the law of the land. [2:14:27] What if it's not Islamic? [2:14:28] If it's not Islamic, then the law of the land and those who make it can go to hell for honestly, [2:14:31] because Allah said in the Quran in chapter 33 verse 1, he said, Oh Prophet, fear Allah. [2:14:36] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. [2:14:36] And do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. [2:14:38] You know why they're worried about the border? [2:14:40] Watch this clip here that Vinny just sent with Al-Qaeda. [2:14:44] I call upon every Muslim and the infidel criminal and arrogant United States. [2:14:48] It doesn't matter if they're Arab American or other descent. [2:14:52] I'm saying to all of them, revenge, revenge. [2:14:55] Do not consult anyone by killing infidel Americans. [2:14:59] You should have a lot of determination and a list of your target to be effective. [2:15:06] Director Kent, what do you think? [2:15:08] When you. [2:15:08] See a video like that, I think we didn't have control of our borders and we don't know who's come into our country. [2:15:15] However, we have had around 2.7 million individuals from Muslim countries and Muslim regions who came in under the Biden administration who went through minimal to no vetting whatsoever, who probably share values like the folks that you saw on the screen. [2:15:29] Director Kent, are you aware that when we invite people into this country and they become citizens, they swear an oath to defend and support the Constitution? [2:15:39] And the laws of the United States of America and against all enemies, foreign and domestic? [2:15:44] Yes. [2:15:45] What do you think? [2:15:46] What do you believe the long term consequences will be if the United States continues admitting individuals who either openly reject assimilation into American civic culture or who falsely swear an oath to uphold the Constitution despite having no intention of honoring it? [2:16:02] We simply won't have a country anymore as we know it. [2:16:04] I think we can look to Europe and to the UK to see exactly where this leads. [2:16:08] I agree 100 percent. [2:16:11] Director Kent, are you aware of some of the differences between U.S. Constitution and common law interpretations of the Sharia law? [2:16:19] I am, broadly, yeah. [2:16:21] What are the differences, in your opinion, and I know you're not a doctorate on this subject, but between the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech in the press, including the right to criticize religions, religious texts, and public figures without government punishment? [2:16:38] Yeah, the freedom of speech, I think, is huge because you don't have that under Sharia law. [2:16:42] And you also... [2:16:43] You also don't have the assumption of innocence under Sharia law, as we do. [2:16:46] Many interpretations of Sharia, blasphemy, criticism of the Koran or the Prophet Muhammad can be a serious offense, sometimes punishable by death. [2:16:58] And there are many others that I don't have time to get to, but I wanted to bring that up today so that Americans understand the differences and why we need to be very careful about who we let into this country. [2:17:10] I thank you guys for the work you do. [2:17:12] I thank you for those underneath you working. [2:17:14] It's been so hard to keep the American citizens and people safe. [2:17:18] Thank you. [2:17:19] Mr. Chairman, I yield back. [2:17:20] The gentleman yields back. [2:17:21] And I remind you, if you don't get to questions that you want to ask, you can submit them for the record. [2:17:26] So we can do that at the end. [2:17:28] I now recognize the gentleman from Puerto Rico, Mr. Hernandez, for five minutes of questions. [2:17:33] I have some matters of interest regarding immigration and FEMA. [2:17:35] But before that, Mr. Kent, does the Bible say anything about freedom of speech? [2:17:42] I'm not a biblical scholar. [2:17:43] I don't think it does. [2:17:44] And I am concerned about singling out. [2:17:46] Muslims and specific religions to talk about how their religious dogma conflicts with our laws and constitutions. [2:17:54] I lament that Ms. Noem has had to leave early today. [2:17:58] But I wanted to talk about the atrocities that the DHS's immigration enforcement and the pain it is causing in places like my home district of Puerto Rico. [2:18:09] Just a few weeks ago, we witnessed eyes shove a pregnant woman. [2:18:12] I cannot imagine, as an expecting father myself, the anxiety that that. [2:18:17] Family must have gone through when they took that person to the hospital and treated her for her injuries. [2:18:24] Also, a few weeks ago, CBP detained Aracely's the radar from the streets of Cabo Rojo. [2:18:30] They put her on a plane. [2:18:31] They sent her to Texas. [2:18:33] She was in a detention facility. [2:18:35] She was removed from the detainee location service, and she was not allowed to contact her attorney. [2:18:42] Mr. Redo was a domestic violence victim who was in Puerto Rico. [2:18:47] With. [2:18:47] A. [2:18:47] Legal work permit, and I wanted to ask Ms. [2:18:50] Noem if DHS policies allow CBP agents to detain persons who are legally in the United States. [2:18:59] I wanted to ask Ms. [2:19:00] Noem the legal authority behind the detention of Aracely's. [2:19:05] Terraro. [2:19:06] I wanted to ask Ms. [2:19:07] Noem why she was removed from the detainee location system. [2:19:12] I wanted to ask Ms. [2:19:13] Noem why Aracely's was not allowed to contact her attorney. [2:19:18] Unfortunately, I predict that she would not have given us adequate answers based on the answers that she has provided to my colleagues here today. [2:19:27] Now, I also wanted to raise a concern with Ms. [2:19:31] Noem regarding TSA agents in Puerto Rico. [2:19:34] I witnessed how many TSA agents worked arduously without pay during the government shutdown and how her announcement that they would get $10,000 as a bonus for working without pay during the pandemic actually created the opposite effect of boosting the lockdown. [2:19:49] Because they were so selective that it excluded apparently most workers. [2:19:54] And finally, I wanted to raise the concerns of red and blue mayors from Puerto Rico. [2:20:00] I emphasize red and blue mayors, Republican and Democratic mayors, regarding her recent secret policy regarding transactions or grants for FEMA money that exceed $100,000. [2:20:14] So to their surprise, they found out that grants and funding, etc. [2:20:19] have been cut. [2:20:20] assignments exceeding $100,000 would now need to be approved by Secretary Noem. But there was no [2:20:25] transparency regarding that rule. And we have no information regarding the application and the [2:20:31] enforcement of that rule. And I sent her a letter with 15 other members asking those questions. And [2:20:36] I got a letter in response that has no answers to these questions. And I wanted to urge her to [2:20:42] reconsider this policy that is delaying aid and reconstruction funds for the people of Puerto [2:20:48] Rico, which are still suffering nine years after Hurricane Maria, and that this is affecting [2:20:54] Republicans and Democrats, that reconstruction should not have a party ID, and that instead of [2:21:00] fighting the bureaucracy, this has made the bureaucracy worse. But unfortunately, Secretary [2:21:05] Noem left early, and we are left expecting these answers. Thank you. And with that, I yield back. [2:21:13] The gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Ogles, [2:21:18] for five minutes of questions. [2:21:19] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [2:21:20] And thank you to the witnesses. Let's be clear. The United States of America is safer today [2:21:26] because of President Trump. The United States of America is the dominant predator across all [2:21:34] landscapes because of President Trump. We have restored our status as the global leader because [2:21:42] of President Trump. Hard stop. Now, when we look at the topic of the hearings, the objectives, there were six [2:21:54] points. I'm going to hit the highlights, examine the full scope of evolving threats facing the United States of America, particularly on readiness at the federal, local, and state level. Highlight the significant, number two, significant national security gains achieved by President Donald Trump. Three, review the Trump administration's efforts to reverse the damage caused by the Biden border crisis. Four, analyze the scale and scope of cyber threats, which is my area as the chairman of the Cyber Subcommittee. Five, discuss the [2:22:24] evolving terrorism landscape, including FTOs, HVEs and DVEs. And six, evaluate emerging unconventional threats. Unfortunately, my colleagues must not have read the memo because that's not what they've talked about. They want to talk about ICE and immigration. So let's talk about that. You know, in 1965, we passed the Hart-Celler Act. Since that time, we've seen chain migration on a scale that, quite frankly, I'm not sure even the progressive liberal authors of the [2:22:57] of that bill could have possibly imagined in that amount of time we've seen 60 million [2:23:03] migrants come into this country most of which 90 from third world countries there are roughly [2:23:10] 300 000 afghans in america 200 of thousand of which came under biden approximately 45 percent [2:23:17] of afghans are on u.s food stamps afghans under the biden administration have an unemployment rate [2:23:25] double that of americans 68 of afghans are on medicaid let's go overseas and so if that sounds [2:23:31] like political rhetoric let's look at the facts paris 48 of crimes committed by foreigners most [2:23:37] of which were muslim overall crime has surged since the islam islamic migrant influx that is [2:23:43] from the french interior ministry london 40 of sex crimes are committed by foreigners most of which [2:23:49] are muslims that's the metropolitan police department rome 83 percent of 2024 street [2:23:55] robbery and theft is committed by foreign immigrants that's the metropolitan police department [2:23:55] rome 83 percent of 2024 street robbery and theft is committed by foreign immigrants that's the metropolitan [2:23:55] police department rome 83 percent of 2024 street robbery and theft is committed by foreign immigrants [2:23:55] by non-eu citizens all almost all of which were muslim sexual assault 69 [2:24:01] muslim italian police reports minneapolis here in the homeland violent crime in cedar riverside [2:24:07] a somali hub rose 56 percent 2010-2018 dearborn michigan crime 105 above the national average [2:24:17] ham track outside of detroit 92 percent of assaults by muslim immigrants drug arrests 85 [2:24:25] per cent muslim immigrants now let's go to nashville tennessee where a somali man [2:24:31] a migrant who came in 2015 raped to death a woman on the steps of a church i've had enough [2:24:44] i've said it once and i'll say it again deport them all this is our country [2:24:53] we get to decide who comes in and we get to decide who has to leave and i say deport them all [2:25:01] all. 90% that have come into this country are from third world countries, most of which are [2:25:08] sucking resources from American citizens, burdening our cities. They do not belong here. Mr. Kent, [2:25:18] I'm chairman of the Cyber Subcommittee. Let's go into the scope and scale of the cyber threats [2:25:24] posed by the CCP. I give you the floor, sir. CCP is probably one of the more aggressive actors [2:25:30] in the cyberspace right now. NCTC is mostly focused on the terrorism realm and how terrorist [2:25:36] actors are using the proliferation of encrypted devices and just the Internet to spread propaganda. [2:25:41] That's probably our biggest purview in terms of cyber. Mr. Glashin. Chairman, I would say that [2:25:49] the Chinese government, the CCP, is our greatest cyber threat. It is a full-time job, and the [2:25:57] resources they throw at this is unbelievable. It's a major concern. You know, when I think [2:26:04] what the CCP is doing, it's a major concern. It's a major concern. It's a major concern. [2:26:04] the witnesses for being here. And I want to thank President Trump. You know, as I said in the skiff [2:26:09] and I'm reading the briefing from the CIA and the FBI on the daily attacks to our country and to [2:26:14] our infrastructure, I appreciate the president and I appreciate you gentlemen and your service to [2:26:19] this country in keeping Americans safe. They have no idea what you do every single day. God bless [2:26:25] you and God bless America. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the [2:26:30] general lady from New Jersey, Ms. Poe, for five minutes of questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and to our [2:26:35] ranking member. Yes, indeed, we've spoken a great deal and learned many things here today, some of [2:26:43] which are still going unanswered, many questions that all of us still have. And there are a vast [2:26:49] number of threats that endanger our homeland, from increasingly sophisticated state-sponsored [2:26:56] terrorist networks to evolving technology. [2:27:00] Our law enforcement agencies are engaging criminals on multiple fronts and facing significant [2:27:09] demands every single day. Next year, there will be an increasingly heightened threat environment [2:27:17] in my district in northern New Jersey as we host the World Cup. Federal counterterrorism grant [2:27:26] funding is absolutely critical in keeping our country safe and protecting our people. We need to [2:27:30] keep our communities safe against the evolving threat environment. This is why I have been so deeply [2:27:39] disturbed by the decision of Secretary Noem to freeze, delay, and cut billions of dollars in federal [2:27:47] counterterrorism grant funds. In February, her department, DHS, froze billions of dollars in [2:27:56] counterterrorism grants that had already been awarded to state and local governments. We need to [2:28:00] spend a lot of money in a national, state, and city. This decision left state and local public safety [2:28:06] organizations unable to access critical funding. DHS then ignored legal deadlines for releasing this [2:28:15] year's installment of the $1.5 billion for these counterterrorism programs. And when DHS finally [2:28:24] released this funding, she abruptly increased the amount of money she had given to the [2:28:26] American Social Security Department. The fact is that she is now slightly more concerned about the [2:28:29] organization than she has been in the last two years. And she needs to stop that. Maintaining these [2:28:30] and illegally, slash funding to states with Democratic governors like New Jersey. [2:28:38] States and localities have sued in federal court for funding owed by the federal government [2:28:45] that was appropriated for them by Congress. [2:28:51] In October, I sent a letter to Secretary Noem, and if she was here, I would be saying this directly to her, [2:28:58] signed by all of my Democratic colleagues in New Jersey's delegation, [2:29:03] demanding that she stop playing politics with federal counterterrorism funding [2:29:08] and immediately restore New Jersey's allocation. [2:29:13] Specifically, I'm referring to the 50% cut to New Jersey's allocation of the Homeland Security Grant Program, [2:29:21] which includes the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Program, [2:29:28] this is the single largest preparation grant program in the Federal Emergency Management Agency. [2:29:38] New Jersey has relied on these federal grants to respond and prepare against terrorist attack. [2:29:45] When she published the notice of funding opportunities for the Homeland Security Grant Program, [2:29:52] she stated that her intent to allocate this funding was going to be based on statutory, [2:29:58] risk assessment and an analysis of relative risk to terrorism faced by the 100 most populous areas in the country. [2:30:10] Under this process, New Jersey was preliminarily allocated around $19 million, [2:30:18] but DHS final award notification, our state received just $9 million. [2:30:28] Thank you. [2:30:28] The final award notification failed to explain why such drastic cuts were made. [2:30:35] Instead, she simply stated that it was done, quote, per DHS directive. [2:30:41] To this day, we have still not received, I have not received a response to my letter. [2:30:48] And I absolutely cannot understand and am so incredibly disappointed by the fact that this administration, [2:30:58] continues to try and attempt to walk all over this body. [2:31:03] Congress is Article I branch, and we demand that we get, we've received the respect that is due, [2:31:11] and that she respond to the questions, and that is her responsibility and her job. [2:31:17] Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you. [2:31:21] General Lady yields back. I now recognize the General Lady from South Carolina, Ms. Biggs. [2:31:25] Five minutes of questions. [2:31:27] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you. [2:31:28] Thank you to the witnesses for being here today. [2:31:30] I know you have a really difficult job. [2:31:33] I want to take a moment just to highlight the fantastic work of the Homeland Security Advisory Council. [2:31:43] I think when I say this, I speak on behalf of our entire South Carolina delegation. [2:31:50] When I say that I'm pleased to see South Carolina's own Governor Henry McMaster appointed to chair the HSAC, [2:31:58] since its inception in 2002, the Council's mission has been to offer the Department real-time advice across the whole spectrum of security issues. [2:32:09] And I think this is especially critical for a state like mine in South Carolina, [2:32:14] where we face everything from severe weather events, such as Hurricane Helene, [2:32:19] to major port security and cyber security concerns. [2:32:24] But I'll move on, and I would like to direct this. [2:32:29] I'd like to make a statement to Director Kent. [2:32:31] China is and has been for quite some time the primary great power competitor to the U.S. [2:32:40] I think some of my colleagues have already established that today. [2:32:44] And I think we've identified the pacing challenge for our national security strategies. [2:32:52] Chinese companies have made land acquisitions near sensitive military sites in the U.S., [2:32:59] and Chinese researchers have engaged in espionage and intellectual property theft. [2:33:06] Chinese national encounters at our northern and southern borders surged in fiscal year 24, [2:33:15] and China remains the primary supplier of precursor chemicals contributing to American overdose deaths. [2:33:24] So my question, Director, is to what extent do you see a nexus between the two? [2:33:30] between China's destabilizing activities [2:33:34] and the terror threat landscape in the United States? [2:33:40] Thank you for the question, [2:33:40] and that's a very important topic, [2:33:42] especially in terms of fentanyl [2:33:44] and the precursors the Chinese Communist Party provides. [2:33:46] Working directly with the cartels, [2:33:48] we have agents of the Chinese Communist Party, [2:33:51] some directly affiliated and some indirectly affiliated, [2:33:54] that are working with the cartels [2:33:55] to continue to change essentially the recipe [2:33:58] of the fentanyl, [2:33:59] because as we designate these different precursors [2:34:02] and they kind of fall off the market [2:34:03] or become more regulated, [2:34:04] these advanced chemists will then come into play [2:34:07] and they're the ones that provide the new ingredients, [2:34:08] the new ways to manufacture fentanyl [2:34:10] that kills American citizens. [2:34:12] So this is something that we are looking at, [2:34:13] in particular the relationship between these Chinese actors [2:34:16] and the Mexican drug cartels. [2:34:19] Well, thank you so much. [2:34:20] And sir, if you have any additional information, [2:34:23] I'd be happy to hear. [2:34:25] Yes, ma'am, thanks for the opportunity. [2:34:27] I think your question is, if our country's destabilized, [2:34:32] it creates a lot of vulnerability [2:34:34] for us. [2:34:35] And whether it be the fentanyl, [2:34:37] is what you're talking about here, [2:34:38] it could definitely affect our national security. [2:34:43] Regarding the fentanyl, [2:34:43] one thing Director Patel recently did [2:34:46] is we've recognized the challenge [2:34:48] that fentanyl faces in the United States. [2:34:50] And instead of continuing to address the symptom, [2:34:54] look at the root of the problem. [2:34:55] He recently went over to China, [2:34:56] met with his counterparts at MSP, [2:34:59] and they agreed to put 13 precursor chemicals [2:35:01] on an export control list. [2:35:04] And if we can prevent the chemical [2:35:07] and the precursors coming to the United States [2:35:09] or into Mexico or anyone that puts together [2:35:16] the fentanyl that comes into the United States, [2:35:18] that can have a greater effect [2:35:20] to reduce that threat to the United States. [2:35:23] Well, thank you so much. [2:35:24] And I appreciate you being here [2:35:26] and hope you realize how important your work is. [2:35:30] And I know the district, [2:35:31] my third district of South Carolina [2:35:33] is counting on you to continue that hard work. [2:35:37] I yield back, sir. [2:35:39] General, the general lady yields back. [2:35:41] I now recognize the gentleman from Virginia, [2:35:42] Mr. Walkinshaw, for five minutes of questions. [2:35:45] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [2:35:46] I regret that Secretary Noem tapped out after two hours. [2:35:51] But nonetheless, I want to focus on an issue [2:35:54] that I think is really important, [2:35:56] the misuse of taxpayer funds and the steering of DHS [2:36:01] funds to politically connected firms [2:36:03] tied to the secretary's office [2:36:06] while hiding that activity from the American people. [2:36:10] Secretary Noem has been criticized [2:36:12] by members [2:36:13] of her own party and by the Trump administration [2:36:17] for being slow and ineffective when Americans actually [2:36:22] need her help. [2:36:24] Republican Senator Tom Tillis said she was, quote, [2:36:27] slow off the mark in getting disaster aid out the door. [2:36:32] A senior administration official recently told Politico [2:36:35] that there was, quote, some fishy stuff going on [2:36:38] with money at DHS. [2:36:41] And the veto authority she handed to Corey Lewandowski [2:36:45] over contracts and grants, quote, [2:36:47] has delayed life-saving resources after disasters. [2:36:53] So when it comes to helping disaster victims, [2:36:57] she's been slow and ineffective. [2:37:00] But when it came to spending money on her own image [2:37:04] and then funneling that money to her friends [2:37:07] and her political allies, she moved with remarkable speed. [2:37:13] According to reporting by ProPublica, [2:37:16] DHS obligated $220 million for an advertising campaign [2:37:23] featuring her in staged, phony border imagery [2:37:28] and featuring pictures of President Trump's [2:37:30] private properties. [2:37:32] That money, that taxpayer money, was routed [2:37:37] through a newly created and secretive Delaware shell [2:37:41] company. [2:37:43] It was then secretly funneled from that shell company [2:37:47] to a firm with direct political and personal ties [2:37:51] to her office and her political operation. [2:37:54] That firm is called the Strategy Group. [2:37:57] This situation has all of the elements [2:38:02] of political corruption. [2:38:04] First, she invoked emergency authority [2:38:08] to bypass competitive bidding. [2:38:11] Second, she concealed the true destination of the money [2:38:17] by routing it through a shell company, a red flag [2:38:20] in any corruption investigation. [2:38:22] Third, the firm that actually did the work that filmed her [2:38:27] attempting to herd cattle has documented political and personal ties [2:38:32] to the secretary and her senior leadership. [2:38:37] Fourth, her directive requiring personal approval [2:38:42] of all contracts over $100,000 concentrated power [2:38:46] in the hands of the very people tied to the firm [2:38:49] that secretly received the work, her and Mr. Lewandowski. [2:38:55] At the exact time this contract was executed, [2:38:59] DHS was diverting investigators and resources away [2:39:02] from child exploitation, away from child trafficking, [2:39:07] away from illegal gun smuggling, yet somehow she found nearly a quarter billion dollars to promote [2:39:14] herself, and the money flowed to her political allies. A federal contracting law expert quoted [2:39:22] in ProPublica summarized it plainly. It's corrupt is the word. That's what I would have liked to ask [2:39:31] the secretary about today. I would have asked if she personally approved the money that flowed to [2:39:38] her political and personal allies. I would have asked if whether when she was governor of South [2:39:44] Dakota in 2023, and the same firm got eight and a half million dollars of taxpayer money, whether [2:39:52] she steered the money to them, because an official in her administration said she did. That's what I [2:40:01] would have asked her, but she had to leave early. Mr. Glashine, are you familiar with the Proud Boys? [2:40:10] I'm familiar with the name, yeah, Proud Boys. Okay, does the FBI still designate the Proud Boys as an [2:40:16] extremist organization? [2:40:17] They did in 2018 in President Trump's first term. We are in the process right now of changing our [2:40:27] categories for domestic terrorists. So they're no longer designated as an extremist organization. [2:40:35] The FBI designated them an extremist organization in 2018. Has that changed? I'm not aware that they [2:40:40] did that. It's all over the media, sir. It's widely reported. Can you get back to me on that? [2:40:45] Sure will. All right, thank you. Gentleman yields back. I now recognize a gentleman from North [2:40:52] Carolina who's not for five minutes of questions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I go into my line [2:40:56] of questioning, it's worth a second. I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question. [2:40:56] I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question. [2:40:56] I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question. [2:40:57] Notice that the previous administration labeled Catholic churches and charities as domestic [2:41:01] terrorists, and there was no outrage about that from the other side of the aisle. But in regards [2:41:06] to today's hearing, threats that currently face the country, we have millions of people in this [2:41:13] country right now who will harm the country either with specific intent or by natural effect. [2:41:19] There's a refusal to assimilate. There's a disdain for Western values. There's even a disdain for [2:41:24] this country. We've seen it recently. [2:41:27] in the unfortunate but staggering case that we've become aware of in Minnesota. [2:41:34] Somalian groups who have come here to defraud the United States to tune up billions of dollars, [2:41:39] submitting fake invoices, at least motivated in part for personal enrichment, [2:41:44] and then to fund terrorist groups back home, our adversaries. [2:41:48] And one of the points that I find most disgraceful from the other side of the aisle, [2:41:53] they would rather talk about Secretary Nome rather than these threats that we are trying to combat. [2:41:59] And they also say that this is strictly a race issue. [2:42:03] That's a disgusting accusation. [2:42:06] From my experience in law enforcement, there were people from all over the world [2:42:09] who exploited the open border policies or weak legal immigration policies to come here, [2:42:15] whether they were from Eastern Europe, China, Russia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Pacific Islands, [2:42:22] and of course South America. [2:42:23] It's a full world problem. [2:42:24] It's a full problem that is operating inside of our borders. [2:42:28] So, Mr. Kent, let me just start with you. [2:42:30] How can we programmatically identify, again, these threats that arrive at the point of millions of people [2:42:37] who are here specifically harming the country? [2:42:41] So right now we're in the triage phase. [2:42:43] We've already identified 18,000 individuals who have ties to known suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. [2:42:49] So we're starting with them, working with DHS and the FBI to locate and deport them. [2:42:53] But as you pointed out, it is a much bigger problem. [2:42:56] We've had 2 to 2.7 million folks from Muslim countries, Muslim regions, [2:43:00] that have come into the country under Biden with minimum to no vetting. [2:43:03] Well, I ask you the question, how do you vet someone that doesn't come from a functioning country? [2:43:08] Exactly. [2:43:08] You simply can't. [2:43:09] That's why prior to the Biden administration, these individuals, even ones who wanted to claim asylum, [2:43:14] they had to go to the first safe third country. [2:43:16] And it would take 18 months to two years to properly vet them. [2:43:20] Biden threw all of that out the window. [2:43:21] We were assured by Secretary Nunn's predecessor that every Afghani refugee, [2:43:25] who came in under the asylum program, was thoroughly vetted. [2:43:29] Was that true? [2:43:30] That was a lie. [2:43:31] Any of those individuals who were vetted, such as the terrorists in D.C., [2:43:34] they were vetted under a war zone standard to see if they could serve as a soldier or as a guard or a cook or something like that, [2:43:41] to see if they posed a threat to us tactically in Afghanistan or Iraq, but not to be our neighbors. [2:43:47] Two completely different systems of vetting. [2:43:48] The Biden administration used the tactical vetting as a ruse to get millions of people. [2:43:53] And then once they were here, we have eyewitnessed them. [2:43:55] We have eyewitnessed them. [2:43:55] It's a witness testimony that they were deployed to military bases and then picked up by people who were already in the country, never to be seen again. [2:44:03] Is that consistent with what you've seen in your current position? [2:44:06] Absolutely. [2:44:07] We're having a hard time running down where a lot of these individuals are. [2:44:09] That's why we haven't been able to locate and deport all of them rapidly. [2:44:12] What tools can we assist you with in identifying these self-radicalizing circles who are inside the country currently? [2:44:18] One thing that I want to be sure that the people who are watching this know is that the shooter who committed the act of terrorism [2:44:25] against the two national guardrails is a victim of terrorism. [2:44:26] members. He was radicalized here. How are we going to identify, again, the people who are [2:44:32] inside of our own borders, empowering our enemies to commit harm inside this country? [2:44:39] Right now, the Trump administration has essentially gone back to letting us enforce [2:44:42] laws, letting us enforce immigration standards, and letting us vet people. What I would like to [2:44:47] emphasize to this committee and to the American people is that we simply cannot go back and [2:44:51] retroactively vet these millions of folks that came in under Joe Biden. We have to locate them [2:44:55] and we have to deport them as soon as we possibly can. Those who want to reapply, they can have the [2:45:00] opportunity to reapply. In terms of what we need, we just need the longitude to do our jobs. We're [2:45:06] getting that from the Trump administration and we appreciate the support of this committee. [2:45:10] Mr. Glashine, I want to give you a time to answer. In terms of the types of domestic terror that we [2:45:15] currently face inside of our own borders, can you briefly describe that with the remaining [2:45:19] minute that I have? Thanks for the opportunity. I want to make it very clear. I know the question [2:45:25] came up earlier about, you know, [2:45:26] desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar [2:45:26] with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar [2:45:26] with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're [2:45:27] familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if [2:45:27] you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know [2:45:28] if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't [2:45:28] know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't [2:45:29] know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't [2:45:29] know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't [2:45:30] know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't know if you're familiar with desertification. I don't [2:45:30] we don't do that that wasn't a serious line of questions we we investigate people yes and [2:45:36] the common component there is violence so make that very clear um and so in terms of regarding [2:45:44] the domestic terrorism threat um you know we have over 1700 domestic terrorist investigations in the [2:45:49] u.s and with respect to antifa which is asked earlier we have approximately 70 antifa [2:45:54] investigations our arrests with antifa related subjects are up 171 percent this year gentleman's [2:46:02] time has expired thank you i now recognize gentleman from louisiana mr carter five minutes [2:46:08] of questions thank you mr chairman uh thank you witnesses for being here i represent the new [2:46:14] orleans region where we welcome partnership we do not welcome occupation we're seeing what we're [2:46:20] seeing unfold in our community is not public safety it's a political stunt wrapped in badges [2:46:26] armored vehicles and military uniforms ice and border patrol agents have descended into our [2:46:31] community with no transparency and no meaningful [2:46:35] coordination with local officials the militarized forces who are not trained in our local laws [2:46:42] not trained in community-based de-escalation and do not know our neighborhoods are our people this [2:46:48] is a recipe for disaster confusion and dangerous mistakes our communities are not [2:46:57] a stage for political theater if this administration wants to partner [2:47:02] then act like it share the plan respect local law and work with us [2:47:08] the российian secretary of state has spoken for nearly four years and for over a decade [2:47:15] we have been under the influence of federal agencies who have stepped up to help us [2:47:20] not just to fight the war but to get rid of the situation that's so important to us [2:47:24] unfortunately christine noam our secretary had to leave in the middle of a very important [2:47:29] conversation to go and talk about dismantling fema a discussion we'll have it another time [2:47:35] that for the life of me i simply can't understand why we want to decentralize the federal emergency [2:47:41] more often than ever before in places it's never happened before. But nonetheless, [2:47:48] if she were here, but she's not, I'll ask her chair. Secretary Noem, I recently stood with [2:47:55] local elected leaders from the city of New Orleans, and our mayor-elect, Helena Moreno, [2:48:00] as they urged DHS agents to commit to transparency, due process protections, [2:48:07] identifiable federal agents, safeguards against discriminatory enforcement, [2:48:14] and humanitarian protections. I would ask her if she were here, but she isn't. Ma'am, [2:48:22] will you commit your department to uphold these values during the current operation in Louisiana? [2:48:28] Apparently, they aren't doing that, but because I know both of you are capable of answering this [2:48:34] question and are, in fact, civil servants that have demonstrated in your career that you do [2:48:40] understand transparency. [2:48:42] That you do understand the Constitution. So I'll ask you the question, do you think this [2:48:47] request from our mayor-elect in New Orleans is a reasonable one? Is it reasonable to ask that [2:48:53] agents commit to transparency, due process protections, identifiable agents, and safeguards [2:48:59] against discriminatory enforcements? Yes or no? Do you think that's a reasonable ask? Yes or no? [2:49:06] Is that reasonable? Sounds reasonable, ma'am. Thank you. Do you think it's reasonable, sir? [2:49:12] Sounds reasonable. Thank you. [2:49:13] Thank you. [2:49:15] The masked officers you sent into the streets of New Orleans are attempting to arrest [2:49:20] and abduct and detain anyone that looks like a migrant. I got to ask the question, [2:49:30] what does a migrant look like? Do you know what a migrant looks like, sir? Yes. Can you define what [2:49:40] a migrant looks like to you? I cannot. Thank you. Can you tell me what you think a migrant looks [2:49:45] like? These are targeted raids. Can you tell me what they look like? Yeah, you have to stop them. [2:49:50] You have to check their identification. [2:49:52] Tell me if you were describing to me as a new $50,000 bonus ICE agent, what does a migrant look [2:50:01] like? You would stop and you would ask them for ID. No, no, no. You'd be on an intelligence [2:50:06] driven operation, which is what these ICE raids are. They're intelligence driven operations. [2:50:09] But if you were to say a guy's wearing a red shirt, you would say the guy's wearing a red [2:50:13] shirt and a purple baseball hat. You would be able to give that description. But can you give [2:50:18] a description of what a migrant looks like? Can you give a description of what a migrant looks like? [2:50:23] We need to deploy ICE officers. [2:50:25] Stop people and ask them and they go on intelligence. [2:50:27] I reclaim my time. You clearly don't want to answer my question. And that's unfortunate [2:50:30] because the American people want to know these answers. We want to know. I've got a quick video [2:50:35] I want to show before my time runs, please. Look at this. This is a stunning video from [2:50:44] Louisiana. You hear that woman cry out. She's a 23 year old running down the street away from [2:50:50] the mass agents who are chasing her, repeating that she is a U.S. born citizen saying stop. [2:50:56] This is a United States citizen who's running away. [2:50:59] They're running away from ICE agents who, when she gets to her house and her husband [2:51:03] comes out, they stop the chase. They clearly weren't chasing her for that. They appear [2:51:09] to have been doing something nefarious. You know why we can't tell the difference? Because [2:51:14] they wear masks and they don't identify themselves as agents. [2:51:18] That's a problem. [2:51:19] Gentlemen's time has expired. I recognize the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Van Eps, [2:51:24] for five minutes of questions. [2:51:26] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the secretary and gentlemen. Thank you for a [2:51:29] great opportunity to be here today at this critical hearing. I'm honored to be here [2:51:32] at my very first hearing as the newest member of Congress. I've had the privilege to serve [2:51:38] this country for over 20 years in uniform versus an active duty U.S. Army helicopter [2:51:43] pilot with service with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and currently [2:51:48] serving in the Tennessee Army National Guard. And I'm honored to continue the mission from [2:51:52] a new post with this distinguished committee. To our witnesses today, allow me to begin [2:51:57] by expressing my appreciation. [2:52:00] Thank you for the work you all do, for the work your teams do, the work that President [2:52:04] Trump and this administration does to ensure the safety and security of our great nation. [2:52:10] I have just a couple of questions focused on emerging A.I.-enabled threats. Adversaries [2:52:16] are already using A.I. to identify exploitable vulnerabilities within systems and networks [2:52:23] and generate cyber intrusion plans far faster than traditional cyber tools. Mr. Glashine, [2:52:31] foreign cyber actors are increasingly using A.I. to refine malware, automate phishing, [2:52:36] and sift large volumes of stolen data. What additional cooperation or coordination between [2:52:42] the FBI, DHS, and companies within the private sector would most improve early detection [2:52:49] of A.I.-enabled intrusions? Or if you would just like to comment on this matter generally. [2:52:54] I appreciate that opportunity. A.I. is a continued challenge right now. I think the relationship [2:53:00] between the two is very important. I think the relationship between the two is very important. [2:53:01] I think the relationship between the two is very important. I think the relationship between [2:53:02] the two is very important. I think the relationship between the two is very important. respond [2:53:03] anytime I need to 127. I mean, the relationships we have right now with government, private [2:53:04] industry are strong with respect to any type of malware ransomware. I think the CISA 2015 [2:53:14] authorization that gives us the authority, that is critical for the future success of [2:53:18] that. And I think looking for the ongoing partnerships. I mean the key piece here is [2:53:22] that relationship with private sector and industry. So, we just need to reinforce that. [2:53:28] ど we do it continue to reinforce that. Thank you, sir. unaidmover 짱 . eliminfie [2:53:30] What are your thoughts on that from. SOdberOn.org. In a valuation oaklandep transpose [2:53:31] and email its схesjamnjofaj6 241,004, consciously pronounce Americans bugged [2:53:33] prime remaining coverzazaordabBBuolue. Again any remember in English. [2:53:35] something we're closely monitoring i mean the ability for terrorists to reach language barriers [2:53:40] and also to inspire people to conduct attacks and then give them ai specific instructions something [2:53:44] we're monitoring carefully and very concerned about thank you sir uh thank you both i know you [2:53:49] both spent your entire careers defending this country and uh greatly appreciate that your [2:53:53] service and sacrifice mr chairman i yield back will the gentleman yield mr van epps have your [2:54:02] time yes sir uh mr kent i want to talk to you a little bit about what we just had with mr carter [2:54:07] um i want to let you finish the answer about what an immigrant looks like going back to my question [2:54:13] that there really is a wide variety of illegal immigration that has attacked this country [2:54:18] just the gentleman yield to the gentleman yes sir okay so this is the correct time that the [2:54:25] gentleman had left yes okay the gentleman's recognized the remainder of thank you time [2:54:31] if you want to finish your answer i'd be happy to yield you the time thank you he answered it [2:54:35] he said he didn't know we've had 15 to 20 million illegals come into this country since joe biden [2:54:40] took office and so we have to stop individuals and we have to ask them for identification to [2:54:45] determine if they are here legally that's what you're seeing in those ice raids and in regards [2:54:51] to the toll that uh illegal immigration has taken on this country are you aware sir that in the last [2:54:57] 25 years more americans have died because of drug overdoses than the entire country's military [2:55:05] combat history yes 250 years of military casualty and [2:55:11] is about 10 less than the overall deaths of the last 25 years of drug overdoses are you aware of [2:55:17] that i'm aware of that and that's why i was glad to see president trump designate the cartels that [2:55:22] bring that poison into the country and kill hundreds of thousands of americans designate [2:55:26] them as terrorists so we could stop them and aggressively target them does fentanyl discriminate [2:55:31] on race it does not or does it affect every single person every single community every [2:55:35] single neighborhood that it enters every single person yes absolutely i find it quite alarming [2:55:41] that we have seen this all over and over again i am i'm a little bit afraid to say that what [2:55:45] we've seen is a much larger scale of the outrage that we have seen from the other side of the aisle [2:55:49] as it relates to the plight that americans have undergone because of illegal immigration and its [2:55:55] harms than we do today when you all are trying to enforce the law from our side of the aisle again [2:56:01] i thank you i hope you'll come back this is a worthwhile conversation it's a needed conversation [2:56:06] and uh mr chairman i yield back thank you i'm gonna yield back to mr van epps mr van epps do you yield [2:56:12] recognize a gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Evans, for five minutes of questions. Thank you. Thank [2:56:20] you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the ranking member, of course, for this important conversation [2:56:24] today. Thank you for the witnesses for taking your time to come and speak to us about these things. [2:56:30] And first, I just want to commend everyone that's working in the Department of Homeland Security, [2:56:35] in law enforcement and border security, for all of the work that you've done to keep our country [2:56:41] safe, keep our state safe, keep our community safe. I spent 10 years as a police officer in the [2:56:45] Denver metro area. I was in the U.S. Army and the Colorado Army National Guard for 12 years to [2:56:51] include a combat deployment overseas to the Middle East as part of the global war on terror. [2:56:55] And those experiences, coupled with what's happening in Colorado, have shown me how [2:57:00] critically important this hearing is on global threats and things that are happening around the [2:57:05] country and around the world, because we know the numbers. We know that every 15 days under [2:57:10] the pre-trial period, we're going to have a global war on terror. And we know that every [2:57:11] 15 days under the pre-trial period, we're going to have a global war on terror. And we know that [2:57:11] every 15 days under the pre-trial period, we're going to have a global war on terror. And we know [2:57:11] that every 15 days under the pre-trial period, we're going to have a global war on terror. And [2:57:12] we know that every 15 days under the pre-trial period, we're going to have a global war on terror. [2:57:12] More Americans lost their lives due to drugs, with most of that being fentanyl, than were killed in [2:57:18] the entirety of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Somewhere around 400,000 Americans died [2:57:25] under the previous administration as a result of the poison that's coming into our communities [2:57:30] from these cartels, these organized criminals, these foreign terrorist organizations, and again, [2:57:35] killing more people than Al Qaeda could have ever dreamed of killing on American soil. And I saw it [2:57:41] as a cop. I saw it as a soldier. And so I'm incredibly thankful for all of the work that's [2:57:46] been done to secure our border and to crush these cartels, these criminals, these terrorist [2:57:50] organizations. And somehow it sounds like there's been a lot of conversations and a lot of posters [2:57:56] about names of folks from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. As cops, we all know [2:58:02] this. We have what we call in cop slang, the book of the dead, all of the bad things that you see [2:58:07] as a cop. And so I don't have a poster up here because I don't want to traumatize the public [2:58:11] with the things that I had to see and that my brothers and sisters had to see during my 10 [2:58:16] years in law enforcement. But it's the names and faces of some of those 400,000 Americans who died [2:58:22] as a result of this poison coming into our community, peddled by cartels and drug dealers [2:58:27] and traffickers. And it's names. One of my constituents that was with me here on Capitol [2:58:34] Hill earlier this year, Liz Hardy, lost a daughter, Brooke Hardy. [2:58:37] To fentanyl. And so I'm going to say those names. And I'm going to remind folks that there are [2:58:42] 400,000 other names out there of people who were killed by terrorists peddling this poison in our [2:58:49] community. In Colorado since 2020, Colorado has lost over 7,000 lives. At times, Colorado has [2:58:58] had the second highest overdose rate of teenagers in the country. And so I am absolutely thrilled [2:59:06] that we've been able to work together to secure our border. And so I'm going to say those names. [2:59:07] And so I'm going to ask you, my colleague, to talk about how you've been able to get a lot of [2:59:11] people out of our community to be safe and secure the border and to go target these worst of the [2:59:15] worst individuals here. And so to Director Kent, can you just talk about how cartels are adapting [2:59:22] their drug and human trafficking methods in response to the new border security and the new [2:59:28] focus and emphasis on getting these people out of our community? And what sort of resources do you [2:59:32] need from Congress to continue disrupting? We all know action, reaction, we do something to keep [2:59:37] not have another 400,000 dead Americans? That's a great question. Because President Trump and [2:59:43] Secretary Noem decisively secured the border, a lot of the fentanyl smuggling and drug smuggling [2:59:48] is moving to the maritime environment on both coasts, whether that's in the Gulf of America, [2:59:53] the Caribbean, or in the Pacific. So we're going to need a good deal more ISR, intelligence, [2:59:58] surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms to cover that big and broad space so we can pick [3:00:03] up these drug boats and take them off the battlefield. Thank you so much for that. So [3:00:08] in addition to being a cop and a soldier for a combined 22 years, I am the only Latino from the [3:00:13] Colorado delegation here in Washington, D.C., my district, 40% Hispanic. And so I am a little bit [3:00:19] disappointed that the secretary left early because I wanted to make it clear that my Hispanic [3:00:24] community also supports getting these drug dealers, these criminals out of our community [3:00:29] because the Hispanic community suffers as well. But I also wanted to talk about, as we used to [3:00:35] say in the military and law enforcement, you got to play the hand you're dealt, not the hand you [3:00:38] wish you had. And the hand we're dealt right now is somewhere between 35% and 42% of the [3:00:45] agriculture workforce in the United States are folks who are not here legally. And so as we're [3:00:52] having this conversation around border security and deportations, I just wanted to have a little [3:00:58] bit further exploration around how do we make sure that we protect our national security? Because we [3:01:02] know that national security starts with food security. If we can't eat, we can't do any of [3:01:08] the things that we're talking about here today. And so continuing that conversation around how we [3:01:12] strike that appropriate balance to make sure that we are supporting our farmers and so many other [3:01:17] industries with some of those numbers that I've mentioned. So I can see that my time has expired. [3:01:22] Yield back to the chairman. Gentleman yields back, and I appreciate the members for being here. I now [3:01:26] want to entertain any of those unanimous consents. The gentlelady is recognized. Thank you. I ask [3:01:33] unanimous consent to include into the record an article by ProPublica from October 16, 2020, [3:01:38] entitled, We found that more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents. They've been [3:01:46] kicked, dragged, and detained for days. I'd also like to add an article by NBC News from December [3:01:52] 7, 2025, entitled, ICE has arrested nearly 75,000 people with no criminal records, data shows. And [3:01:59] the letter that I sent on October 3rd requesting a meeting with Secretary Noem. That objection. Can I [3:02:05] do one more? I'd also ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record. I'd also like to add that [3:02:09] an article from USA Today, December 2nd, titled, Trump pardons cocaine kingpin who ruled Honduras. That [3:02:19] objection. Thank you. And last one. I'd like unanimous consent to be entered into the record. A letter [3:02:25] dated today, December 11th, after the conversation with the secretary, with dates of availability in [3:02:33] order to be able to meet with Secretary Noem. That objection. Thank you. Gentlelady yields. Any other? [3:02:39] Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent. [3:02:41] Gentleman's recognized. You know, we've heard over and over again that border patrol would only [3:02:47] target those people that were, in fact, dangerous criminals. We've seen since the time in New [3:02:55] Orleans that less than one-third of those have been detained have been criminals. I'd like to [3:02:59] submit in the record this article by the AP, which demonstrates the statistics that clearly show [3:03:04] that these agents aren't, in fact, going after hardened criminals, but people who look a certain [3:03:10] way. Mr. Chairman, I have one other item. [3:03:13] I'd like to also show over and over again DHS will be targeting dangerous criminals. And here's a second article that [3:03:20] demonstrates, in fact, that the people that they're picking up, many of which are, in fact, U.S. citizens because they [3:03:26] look a certain way. The central theme that I'm offering in these unanimous consent articles is you cannot [3:03:33] singularly identify a place or person of origin by the way they look. Our Constitution protects us from that. This is a gross, [3:03:43] miscarriage of justice. [3:03:45] Without objection, Gentleman Yeltsin. [3:03:48] I'm closing. [3:03:52] Gentleman, it's recognized. [3:03:54] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [3:03:56] Mr. Chairman, this secretary abandoned her duty to testify at this committee hearing, and refusing to answer our question is unprecedented. [3:04:12] No other secretary, even those under threat of impeachment, have just gotten up and walked out of a hearing [3:04:20] when nearly half the members haven't even asked questions. [3:04:24] On one level, you can't be surprised because she's failed to answer our letters and other requests for information. [3:04:33] Secretary Nome did not even want to appear at all today. [3:04:39] To add insult to injury, I'm told that when she left, she did not leave the building. She went to the ante room. [3:04:52] Furthermore, to ostensibly go to a FEMA council, [3:04:59] meeting for one o'clock. [3:05:02] I understand, on good information, that the FEMA council meeting was canceled, so there was no need for her to go. [3:05:15] She's a liar. With no respect for congressional oversight, she joined FBI Director Kash Patel in telling the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security [3:05:31] to pound sand by getting up and walking out in the middle of the hearing. [3:05:38] We were told that she'd be here until one o'clock, but she left significantly early. [3:05:48] This is an embarrassing display from someone who can't take the heat. [3:05:53] It is disrespectful to the committee and the Constitution, the separation of powers. [3:06:00] But again, what else can we expect from an administration led by a man who sicked a mob on the Capitol on January 6th? [3:06:13] Mr. Chairman, [3:06:15] Mr. Chairman, [3:06:16] Mr. Chairman, [3:06:17] Mr. Chairman, [3:07:09] Ms. Turner. [3:07:10] As long as that secretary walked out of the hearing, I move that this committee subpoena Secretary Ngo Mabk to continue her testimony. [3:07:11] excuse the witnesses and thank them so they don't have to wait around for the vote. [3:07:18] First, also thank the Capitol Police for being here today and doing a great job, [3:07:22] and thank the witnesses for being here today. The hearing is on worldwide threats. I'm sorry [3:07:28] we didn't get to focus a lot on that today. As someone who's from New York and 25th anniversary [3:07:33] 9-11 is coming up, I thank you all for the work you're doing to keep us safe and make sure another [3:07:37] 9-11 does not happen. The members of the committee may have some additional... Okay, we'll do it then. [3:07:44] All right. The witnesses are excused, and on the motion to table, all those in favor say aye. [3:07:59] Aye. All those opposed? Nay. The ayes have it. Yes. I guess we'll go ahead and ask for a recorded [3:08:07] vote on that. A recorded vote has been requested. The clerk will prepare the roll.