Senators press DHS on border control, wall costs and use of Guantanamo to hold migrants

Committee members spent substantial time questioning Secretary Noem about border metrics, detention operations and the administration’s request for $46.5 billion in border infrastructure.

Administration claims and questions: Noem repeatedly told senators the administration had achieved a dramatic reduction in daily border encounters and called the border "the most secure border in American history," a claim senators repeatedly referenced (figures cited during the hearing included a 93% decline in daily encounters). Several senators asked how the department justified a $46.5 billion request for wall construction when per‑mile estimates they cited (CBP's and other figures discussed in the hearing) ranged from roughly $6.5 million to $14 million per mile. Chairman Paul and other senators asked the department for line‑item details explaining the differences between the requested sum and cost per mile.

Detention and transport: Senators raised the administration's practice of transferring migrants to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Members asked about per‑person and total costs; one senator reported that a two‑month operating estimate was previously described to him as $43 million and asked why migrants were moved offshore rather than detained in the United States. Noem defended the transfers and said the funds used were "authorized and appropriately" spent.

Deportations and self‑deportation incentive: Noem described options the department is using to remove noncitizens, including facilitating voluntary departures, which she described as cheaper than forced removal and said could include a plane ticket and $1,000 to assist returnees. Senators pressed for clarification about whether U.S. citizens had been mistakenly deported (several senators alleged individual cases; Noem said her office had not deported U.S. citizens and that where interviews find individuals are citizens or have legal status they remain in the United States).

Why it matters: The questions link fiscal, operational and legal issues — the scale of the requested border infrastructure spending, the cost and propriety of moving migrants to Guantanamo Bay, and the department's treatment of lawful residents and citizens. Noem promised department follow‑up on budget specifics and on document access requested by the committee.

Ending: The committee did not take formal action on appropriations or policy; senators asked for additional documentation and line‑item budget breakdowns to reconcile the administration’s wall request with per‑mile cost estimates and to clarify detention costs at Guantanamo Bay.