Democrats on Wednesday pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on what her agency is doing to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who was mistakenly sent to El Salvador, as well as the case of two American children who were recently deported by the Trump administration.
In a heated House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Noem said DHS is following all federal court orders and that “everybody has gotten due process” while later testifying that due process does not “guarantee a hearing.”
“We have utilized due process as it’s laid out in the tools Congress has given us,” Noem repeatedly said.
A federal appeals court had previously admonished the Trump administration for wrongly removing Abrego Garcia from the U.S. without due process, and the Supreme Court has ordered the administration to facilitate his return.
The administration has previously said it has no duty to return Abrego Garcia and invoked state secrets privilege in response to a federal judge’s inquiry into the case.
During the hearing, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) also displayed a picture of Abrego Garcia’s fist that President Donald Trump shared on social media. Trump has claimed the photo, which shows tattoos on Abrego Garcia’s fist and the superimposed lettering “MS-13,” proves the Maryland resident is a member of the notorious gang.
Asked about the picture, Noem said she had no knowledge about the photo and repeated her claim that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous gang member.
“I have a bullshit detector,” Swalwell said. “Is this doctored or not doctored?”
Democratic lawmakers also asked about the cases of two children who are U.S. citizens and who were deported from the U.S. with their family members, who did not have citizenship. Noem said their mothers chose to take their children with them, a claim that received widespread pushback.
“We do not deport U.S. citizens and have not deported U.S. citizens,” Noem added.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) said he had personally spoken with the attorney of one of the families, who said that they did not want the child — who has Stage 4 cancer — sent to Honduras. He also pointed to the lack of due process afforded to the over 200 migrants deported to El Salvador, who have yet to face trial or contest their deportations.
“You have been sloppy. Your department has been sloppy,” Magaziner said. “You need to change course immediately.”
