President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security said the new administration’s plans to deport millions of immigrants would focus first on violent criminals who are in the country illegally.
“President 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,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday.
Noem was answering a question from newly elected Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who told her he had been hearing concerns from producers in the state, including dairy farmers, that deportations targeting undocumented immigrants “will lead to workforce shortages that will further drive up the costs of everything.”
Citing newly released data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement showing that more than 425,000 non-citizens have criminal convictions, Noem said “that will be a focus that we need to tackle right away. And it'll be a big one beyond that. [Trump’s] next priority is going to be those with final removal orders.”
Gallego specifically asked Noem what her plan is “to ensure safe and legal immigration processes for agricultural workers while protecting local agricultural operations, including those in both of our home states?”
“We'll continue conversations,” she said. “As you know, I'm a farmer and a rancher and come from an agricultural state, and we'll work together to make sure that laws are followed.”
Those laws, she said pointedly, come from the Senate and the House. “I, as Secretary, uphold the law, so you determine what that is. … I'll be transparent and share as much information and insight as I have with my background and experience and continue to work with you.”
Noem also said she would distribute disaster aid “with no political bias.” She was questioned by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., about that issue because Trump has threatened to withhold aid to California to pay for the costs of the fires still raging in Los Angeles.
“We won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump said at a press conference in September, referring to Gov. Gavin Newsom. “And if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems.”
Noem, however, echoed Trump in appearing to place the blame for the fires on policies in California.
“Senator, leadership has consequences,” she said. “What’s happening in California is the ramification of many decisions over many years.”
Noem, like many of Trump’s cabinet choices, raised the specter of Chinese influence.
Said Noem: “For over 30 years, I've worked on national policy, on food policy, on agriculture policy, and I've seen the Chinese agenda to infiltrate our country, control our food supply chain, but also their manipulation of their currency and stealing our [intellectual property] and now I believe that this fentanyl crisis that they have flooded our country with is geared, and the purpose of it is to kill our next generation of Americans.”
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