Kristi Noem’s Senate hearing interrupted by protesters as she’s accused of creating ‘hateful America’: Live updates

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the use of administrative warrants to make immigration arrests, saying “it is the legal process we have.” The warrants are internal administrative documents, drafted and signed by ICE officers themselves, and are not reviewed by a judge.

Federal judges, constitutional law experts and Democratic members of Congress have roundly rejected the administration’s defense that such warrants can be used because undocumented immigrants aren’t covered by the Fourth Amendment.

Earlier this month, a group of House Democrats wrote to Noem urging ICE to rescind a memo instructing officers to rely on them.

“You must rescind this memo and adhere to the requirements of the Fourth Amendment by ensuring your agents obtain a judicial warrant prior to making any non-consensual entry into a private residence,” they wrote.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem if she would retract previous statements labeling Alex Pretti and Renee Good as “domestic terrorists.”

“You and your agency rushed to brand these victims as ‘domestic terrorists,’” Durbin said. “We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements cause immeasurable pain to these families.”

“Let me give you an opportunity to do the right thing,” he added. “Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists?”

“When we have these situations happen, we always offer our condolences to those families, and I offer mine as well,” Noem replied. “These are tragic situations, and I can’t imagine what these families go through and losing a loved one.”

Noem noted that her agency works to provide Americans with “as much information as possible.”

“Is it so hard to say you were wrong?” Durbin asked.

“I absolutely strive to provide factual information and will continue to do that,” Noem said.

A second protester was removed from Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing after standing and shouting at DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told the Senate Judiciary Committee that ICE agents are facing a “dangerous environment.”

“I want to address the dangerous environment that our ICE officers face on the streets today. They are facing a serious and escalating threat as a result of deliberate mischaracterizations of their heroic work and rhetoric that demonizes our law enforcement,” she testified.

“DHS has documented an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against our ICE officers and their families, as well as more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults while carrying out the lawful enforcement operations that they do every single day,” she continued.

An individual was removed from today’s hearing after shouting at DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

“Kristi Noem, you should be ashamed of yourself,” the protester said.

The individual continued to shout at Noem as security officials removed them from the room.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin slammed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, in his opening statement.

“Secretary Noem and her rogue immigration agents seem to believe they are above the law and accountable only to the President and Stephen Miller’s evil vision of a hateful America,” Durbin said.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Democratic lawmakers to “end the shutdown” during his opening statement Tuesday morning.

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down since last month after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on funding for the agency.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is also expected to to testify before the House Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing on Wednesday.

She will appear before the Senate panel at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The House Rules Committee will consider a measure to fund DHS on Tuesday, allowing for a potential vote later in the week.

DHS has been shut down since February 14 after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.

Democrats have demanded changes to how immigration operations are conducted following the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti.