Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced interruptions from anti-ICE activists during her testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee. The protesters shouted slogans against immigration enforcement as she began her opening statement at a hearing on worldwide threats to the homeland, and Noem continued after security removed them.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was interrupted by anti-ICE activists on Thursday as she began her opening statement before the House Homeland Security Committee during a hearing titled “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.”
According to video of the hearing and multiple news reports, two protesters disrupted Noem’s remarks within moments of her beginning. The first activist, described by outlets including the Daily Wire and Fox News as wearing clothing resembling a Catholic cardinal or priest, stood up and shouted, “Stop ICE raids! The power of Christ compels you!” while holding a sign and a cross.
Capitol Police quickly moved in, escorted the man from the hearing room and were instructed to place him under arrest, the Daily Wire reported. As officers led him out, a second man stood and repeatedly shouted, “Get ICE off our streets! Stop terrorizing our communities!” while holding a protest sign. Security removed him as well. Noem appeared unfazed and resumed her testimony once the disruptions ended.
The hearing and protests came amid the Trump administration’s ongoing mass deportation campaign, which has drawn both strong support from immigration hardliners and mounting criticism from immigrant-rights advocates. The Department of Homeland Security has reported what it describes as a sharp surge in hostility toward its personnel as deportation operations have expanded. The Daily Wire, citing DHS figures, reported that officials have documented an 8,000% increase in death threats against department employees and a more than 1,100% rise in assaults.
Some of those threats have turned violent, according to the same Daily Wire report, which cited two incidents in Texas involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. In one September attack, a gunman opened fire at a Texas ICE facility, killing two detainees and himself while appearing to target federal officers. In a separate July 4 incident at a nearby facility, alleged Antifa-aligned assailants reportedly used fireworks to draw agents outside before firing shots, injuring a local officer.
Beyond Thursday’s hearing, DHS officials and conservative outlets have warned that activists around the country have followed and filmed federal immigration agents during arrests, with some attempting to interfere. In certain regions, according to the Daily Wire and law-enforcement briefings described in conservative media, cartels and gangs have allegedly offered bounties for attacks on federal immigration officials, underscoring the risks those officers face during enforcement operations.
