Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, drew sharp questions from Democratic lawmakers on Thursday about the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, with some members calling on her to resign.
The hearing, held by the House Homeland Security Committee, typically takes place annually and focuses on “worldwide threats” to the United States. But most of the focus on Thursday was on the Trump administration’s escalating immigration efforts, and instances in which immigrants with no criminal records and U.S. citizens have been caught up in enforcement actions.
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the highest-ranking Democrat on the panel, opened the hearing by urging Ms. Noem to resign from her post.
He later pressed Ms. Noem on who gave asylum to the Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington. “Your D.H.S. approved the asylum application,” Mr. Thompson told her. Ms. Noem repeatedly said that the vetting of the suspect occurred during the Biden administration.
During their exchange, Mr. Thompson called the shooting an “unfortunate accident,” prompting Ms. Noem to retort that it was “a terrorist attack.” He subsequently called it an “unfortunate situation.”
During another tense exchange, Representative Shri Thanedar, Democrat of Michigan, told Ms. Noem that he was “sick of your lies” and asked if she would resign.
“Sir, I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work,” Ms. Noem responded. “Thank you very much.”
The hearing came at a pivotal time for immigration policy. Trump administration officials have pledged to purge people in the country unlawfully. The Department of Homeland Security has also made changes to the legal immigration system since last month’s shooting of the two National Guard members, which left one dead. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who received asylum in April, has been charged in the attack. Mr. Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty.
Since then, the Trump administration has halted the ability of Afghans to obtain visas, paused decisions on asylum applications and vowed to review the more than 50,000 asylum applications that were approved during the Biden administration. It has also paused immigration applications submitted by foreign nationals from the 19 countries subject to the president’s travel ban.
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security have also said they would re-examine applications that were approved for migrants from those countries who entered the United States since the beginning of the Biden administration.
Those changes have already disrupted some immigrants’ applications for benefits. In recent days, immigration lawyers have said their clients have had their green card interviews or naturalization ceremonies canceled with little explanation.
In October, the administration significantly cut the number of refugees who are accepted and said it would give priority to mostly white Afrikaner South Africans. The Trump administration lowered the ceiling for refugee admissions to 7,500 for this fiscal year, down from the 125,000 cap the Biden administration set last year.
Madeleine Ngo covers immigration and economic policy for The Times.
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