Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Appropriations subcommittee presses DHS on border enforcement, detention capacity and technology
Summary
House appropriators questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem about declines in border encounters, detention bed needs, recruitment, and investments in surveillance and ports technology, and asked how requested reconciliation funding would be used to sustain enforcement gains.
Secretary of Homeland Security Noem told members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that the department has driven down encounters at the southern border and shifted resources to target cartels and criminal actors, while lawmakers pressed for detail on detention capacity, technology upgrades and how reconciliation funding would be spent.
At the hearing, Noem said the department had "obtained near total control" of the southern border and that "March saw the lowest number of border encounters in recorded history ... at just under 7,200." She also told the panel that "fentanyl traffic at the border fell by 54% compared to the previous year."
Why it matters: Members across the panel said they supported stronger enforcement but sought specifics on how the department will maintain reduced encounters, manage large backlogs…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
