CNN interrupted regular programming on Thursday, December 11, to cover a tense moment on Capitol Hill as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before the House Committee on Homeland Security amid mounting opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
As Noem addressed lawmakers, a protester stood up in the hearing room holding a handmade sign and loudly condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the administration’s deportation policies. “Get ICE off our streets. Stop terrorizing our communities,” the protester shouted before being removed by security. Moments later, a second demonstrator rose with a similar message and was also escorted out.
The disruptions continued outside the hearing room. As Noem arrived, protesters shouted demands such as “Stop terrorizing our communities,” “End deportations,” and “Stop ICE raids,” with chants of “Shame on you Kristi Noem” echoing through the hallway.
After the interruptions during her opening remarks, police warned the protesters that their presence was unlawful. Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino of New York called the hearing back to order, allowing Noem to resume her testimony. Shortly afterward, however, she stood up and abruptly ended the session, drawing further criticism and shouts as she exited.
Noem appeared before the committee to discuss “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,” a broad topic that has previously encompassed cybersecurity, terrorism, China, and border security. Despite the wide scope, the hearing focused heavily on immigration—an area where Noem has faced increasing scrutiny and limited appearances before Congress.
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the committee’s top Democrat, delivered a sharp rebuke of Noem’s leadership. He concluded his remarks by urging her to resign, accusing her of corruption, dishonesty, and lawlessness, and suggesting she step aside rather than continue what he described as a waste of the committee’s time.
In her opening statement, Noem praised the administration’s strict immigration stance and referenced a late-November National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one Guard member dead and another seriously injured. She said the suspect was an Afghan national who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome, adding that authorities had arrested another Afghan national under the same program who was allegedly planning an attack in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Washington shooting suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. in 2021 following the military withdrawal from Afghanistan and now faces charges including murder, assault, and firearms offenses. Noem used the case to underscore her department’s priorities, saying the Department of Homeland Security is focused on tightening border security.
“We’re ending illegal immigration, returning sanity back to our immigration system,” she said. “We have sent a strong message to criminal illegal aliens that we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”
The heated hearing underscored the growing tensions surrounding immigration policy and the increasingly confrontational atmosphere facing the administration’s top officials on Capitol Hill.
