Key moments from Kristi Noem's hearing for Homeland Security chief

WASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency central to his vision of cracking down on illegal immigration, faced senators Friday at a confirmation hearing and promised to be a tough hand in carrying out the president’s vision for the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.

Noem, a two-term governor and former U.S. congresswoman, was chosen by the Republican president-elect to lead the department responsible for immigration and border-related actions that will be central to his plans for mass deportations and tightened access at the border.

She would replace outgoing Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was so vilified by Republicans angry at the number of migrants crossing the country's southern border that they impeached him in early 2024.

Some takeaways from Noem's confirmation hearing:

Immigration agenda

Noem pledged a complete turn from Mayorkas' policies, saying she was determined to carry out Trump's plans to choke off illegal immigration and deport millions of migrants.

She committed to ending CBP One, a phone app the Democratic Biden administration has used to process asylum-seekers' entry into the country. She also pledged to scale back the use of humanitarian parole, curtail the use of temporary immigration relief for migrants from countries experiencing unrest, and reinstate a Trump-era policy of requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.

Noem said she would prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records once in office, then turn to those who have received final deportation orders.

The immigration and border-related agencies Noem would oversee include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beyond those agencies, the department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more.

Why would she want the job?

Noem acknowledged that her nomination as DHS secretary was ''a bit of surprise'' to many but said she asked for the job because ''it was the president's number one priority.''

''I knew that it needed to have someone in the position that would do what the president promised the American people,'' Noem said, someone ''strong enough to do it and follow through to make sure that we're protecting our communities and America.''

She appears to have strong backing from GOP senators who will be crucial to her confirmation.

Sen. Rand Paul, the Republican chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he would be looking for Noem "to lead an agency that has lost its way.''

Her supporters said Friday that Noem's background of growing up on a farm and governing a rural state would give her the skills needed to implement Trump's plans.

Democrats questioned whether she is qualified to lead a department crucial to the country's safety.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the committee, said he had ''serious doubts'' about her ability to manage ''this huge organization of such serious consequence to national security.''

California wildfires and FEMA

At the hearing, Blumenthal insisted that Noem clarify whether she would stand up to Trump if he asked her to withhold disaster relief money from certain states.

While Noem avoided saying that she would defy the president, she told the senators, ''I will deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias.''

''Every American deserves to be there and have disaster relief, the same as their neighbors,'' Noem added.

She pointed to her experience as governor responding to natural disasters, saying it was important to ensure ''no community is left behind and that life saving services like electricity and water are quickly restored.''

Leading federal disaster responses, Noem also plans to streamline communications at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including putting out ''blueprints'' for potential action following a disaster as well as ending work from home policies for employees.

Little known but controversial agency

There was pointed discussion about the future of the nation's cybersecurity agency amid Republican claims that it has strayed from its mission. Some Republican lawmakers and conservative groups have called for the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to be eliminated or have its election responsibilities significantly reduced for engaging in efforts to counter misinformation.

Formed in 2018 under legislation signed by Trump, CISA is an independent agency that falls under the Department of Homeland Security and is charged with helping protect the nation's critical infrastructure, ranging from power plants and banks to dams and election systems. The agency has drawn fierce criticism with conservatives alleging it pushed social media platforms to unconstitutionally squelch conservative points of view.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, on Friday asked Noem to help him investigate the agency.

Noem said she would work with Johnson ''should you wish to rein them in'' and criticized the agency's work during the coronavirus pandemic.

CISA Director Jen Easterly has defended the agency's work, saying it ''does not censor, has never censored.''

Protecting the president

The Secret Service falls under the purview of Homeland Security and has been under intense scrutiny since the July 13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The agency is responsible for protecting high-level dignitaries, but it also has a branch that focuses on financial crimes. While many in the agency say those investigative skills build better agents, Noem said they needed to focus on their primary protective duties.

''The Secret Service is in need of dramatic reforms,'' she said.

She said the agency is understaffed and plans to refocus it on a core mission of ''addressing national security events with the protocols that are necessary and protecting the individuals that they're charged with.''

Noem also told senators she would work with them to turn over information they have been seeking about the attempted assassination attempt.

While Noem was testifying, Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. said his father will be naming Sean Curran to be Secret Service director. Curran currently heads the president-elect's personal detail as special agent in charge and was one of the agents who covered him after a gunman opened fire at the Butler rally.

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Associated Press reporter Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta contributed to this report.