I had hoped to go to Aberdeen this morning for a PUC meeting on the Summit carbon pipelines, but a lingering cold and ultra-windy weather discouraged the trip.
Instead, I watched Governor Noem testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs as part of the process to confirm her nomination as Department of Homeland Security.
Here's the YouTube of the PBSNews Hour of the hearing:
From the States Newsroom, via South Dakota Searchlight
Noem pledges to secure border as DHS chief, will shut down mobile app for migrants
by Ariana FigueroaWASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Friday that she will be “vigilant and proactive and innovative to protect the homeland” as she carries out President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“The challenges in front of us are extremely significant, and we must secure our borders against illegal trafficking and immigration,” Noem, Trump’s nominee for DHS secretary, said in her opening statement. She said she will get rid of a mobile app used by migrants to make appointments with asylum officers to plead their cases that’s been criticized by Republicans.
Noem’s nomination hearing was one of the last before Monday’s Inauguration Day. Most were tame, save for the hearing for the Defense secretary nominee, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth. Most nominees appeared on their way to easy confirmations in the GOP-controlled Senate.
Senators this week held hearings for U.S. attorney general pick Pam Bondi of Florida; Office of Management and Budget nominee Russ Vought; former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, nominated as Interior secretary; Department of Housing and Urban Development nominee Eric Scott Turner; and Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager tapped to run the Treasury Department.
Noem’s hearing was mainly friendly, with Democrats concerned about the U.S.-Canada border, assistance for natural disasters, cybersecurity and domestic terrorism.
The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, asked Noem about domestic terrorism and how she would address it, pointing to the recent terrorist attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Noem said that the number one threat to the U.S. is immigration at the southern border, but noted that “homegrown terrorism is on the rise.”
Senate Republicans, such as the chair of the committee, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, heavily focused on border security and reimplementation of Trump-era immigration policies, as well as curtailing humanitarian parole and temporary legal immigration programs like Temporary Protected Status.
McCook Lake flooding
Noem said that she would draw on her experience as South Dakota’s governor if she is confirmed as DHS secretary. Some of that includes cybersecurity and the management of natural disasters, such as the recent June flooding in her state that affected McCook Lake property owners.
However, the state of South Dakota received notice that it could be sued by those property owners, who argue their community suffered catastrophic damage as a direct result of flood diversion efforts carried out by state and local officials. Residents said they were not properly warned about the flooding by officials, especially by Noem, who conducted a press conference prior to the flood but then flew out of state for a political fundraiser in Tennessee while the flood was occurring.
Peters, while not mentioning McCook Lake, pointed out DHS is often the first line of defense when it comes to natural disasters.
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency must continue to work hard to address the increasing number of natural disasters affecting our communities as a result of climate change,” Peters said, “from violent storms like hurricanes that brought destruction to states across the South to the devastating wildfires in California and countless other severe storms and flooding events all across our country.”
Congress recently included $100 billion in disaster aid in a stopgap spending bill in December.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he was deeply disappointed with Trump’s response to the fires in California, and noted that during the first Trump administration, requests for disaster aid from Washington state and other blue states were brushed off.
Noem said that under her leadership “at the Department of Homeland Security there will be no political bias to how disaster relief is delivered to the American people.”
Blumenthal asked her if she would follow Trump’s orders to withhold disaster assistance to blue states, noting the $100 billion in funds Congress recently passed.
Noem said she would not answer a question about a hypothetical scenario.
“It’s more than a hypothetical, with all due respect,” Blumenthal said. “It’s based on experience with President Trump withholding money from Washington state and elsewhere. I need to know from you, will you stand up to the president?”
Noem said that she will “deliver the programs according to the law.”
Resignation, divestment
In Noem’s ethics agreement, she noted she plans to resign as South Dakota’s governor as soon as she’s confirmed as Trump’s DHS secretary, something that could happen as soon as next week.
She added that she plans to divest from a company where she is a manager, Ashwood Strategies LLC.
As part of her financial disclosure to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Noem said she made almost $140,000 in a book advance for a 2024 memoir where she admitted to shooting and killing her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, due to behavioral issues. The revelation drew bipartisan backlash, but she’s mainly defended it.
She also received about $40,000 for an advance for her first book, published in 2022, “Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland.”
As part of the disclosure, she said her husband makes a little over $1 million at his insurance firm. It is noted in the form that he is the sole owner.
Northern border
Peters also said DHS does not have enough resources at the northern border to facilitate trade. He added that there has been an increase in unauthorized crossings.
Noem said that in addition to focusing on the southern border, her goal is to have the northern border properly staffed, for both trade and security.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire, said in her state she has seen an increase in unauthorized crossings.
“There’s real concern in New Hampshire and all along the northern border that we strengthen the border and have the resources we need,” Hassan said. “We also have a really strong economic relationship with our partner, our friends to the north, and a lot of family relationships. We don’t want to impede that flow of economy and people that’s lawful, but we do want to make sure that we have the resources we need.”
She asked if Noem would consider upgrading the equipment at the northern border, along with more staff.
“That’s something I want to work with Congress, with the Senate and the House on, to ensure that the resources are there to meet the challenges at the border,” Noem said.
Biden immigration policies
GOP Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and James Lankford of Oklahoma said they want DHS to roll back several Biden-era immigration policies, such as the use of the mobile app by migrants and humanitarian parole.
Noem said if she’s confirmed, the shutdown of what’s known as the CBP One app will be one of her first directives, and while the app will be gone, she said DHS will preserve the data. Noem said she doesn’t believe the tool should be used to process asylum seekers into the country.
Trump’s Vice President, Ohio’s J.D. Vance, has also criticized the use of the app, writing on social media that the use of the app is “the most underreported scandal of the Biden admin.”
“They made an application to facilitate illegal immigration,” he said. “It boggles the mind.”
Lankford also asked if construction of the border wall would continue, and Noem said it would.
Hawley asked if Noem would work to reinstate the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which requires asylum seekers to often stay in dangerous parts of Mexico and wait while their asylum cases are pending, something that can take months or years.
“The president and I have talked extensively about this, and (I) will 100% partner with him to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy and make sure that it’s in place,” she said.
Noem added that she also wants to increase the number of immigration judges and courts. However, the Department of Justice holds jurisdiction over immigration courts, not DHS.
Ohio freshman GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno asked about Temporary Protected Status, which allows people to remain in the United States and work temporarily if their home country is deemed too dangerous for return due to war, natural disasters or violence. There are roughly 1 million people in the TPS program, which does not provide a pathway to citizenship and typically has to be reauthorized every 18 months or so.
“This program has been abused and manipulated by the Biden administration, and that will no longer be allowed,” Noem said.
There are 17 countries under TPS, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, El Salvador and Venezuela.
The White House this month redesignated TPS for Ukraine, Venezuela, Sudan and El Salvador. Of those redesignations, Noem said she specifically disagreed with the one for Venezuela.
During Trump’s first term, he tried to end the TPS designation for Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Sudan, but was blocked by the courts in 2018.
Mass deportations
Freshman Democratic Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both former House lawmakers, pressed Noem on how she would carry out mass deportations of people in the country without legal status.
Kim asked what kind of authority border czar Tom Homan would have in immigration policy and if Homan would be giving direct orders to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“If he is going to be making decisions, then he should come before this committee as well,” Kim said.
Noem said that she would be working with Homan daily and that “there’s no authorities being planned to be taken away from the department or myself in the role.”
“But it sends some mixed signals,” Kim said. “People in my home state, maybe around the country, when they hear Mr. Homan saying, ‘I’m making the decisions,’ when they hear President-elect Trump say ‘He’s in charge of our border.’”
Gallego asked Noem what her plan was to ensure there is a safe and legal process for agricultural workers, who he said are concerned about what Trump’s mass deportations plans could mean for them.
“You know, talking to my agricultural community, my dairy community, they have concerns that this approach will lead to workforce shortages that will further drive up the costs of everything,” Gallego said.
Noem said that Trump “has been very clear that his priority is going to be deporting criminals, those who have broken our laws and perpetuated violence in our communities.”
She added that his next priority for deportations will be those who have removal orders.
Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst also asked Noem how she plans to detain immigrants, and not allow those who have been charged with a crime to be allowed bond.
“The number one priority of the president is to secure the border and to deport these criminal actors immediately and as soon as possible. They will be the number one priority to make our communities safer and so that we don’t have this kind of situation going forward,” Noem said.
Separately, the U.S. Senate early Friday also voted on a bipartisan basis to move forward with a bill that would greatly expand mass detention of immigrants arrested or charged with a property crime.
The measure was written in response to the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student, Laken Riley, in Georgia. A man from Venezuela who was in the U.S. without proper authorization has been convicted of the crime.
Photo: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her 2025 State of the State address to lawmakers at the Capitol in Pierre on Jan. 14, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight).
This States Newroom/South Dakota Searchlight article is republished online under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
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