DHS Secretary Noem Defends Border Enforcement as Committee Presses on Detainers, Deadly Encounters and $220M Ad Contract

House Judiciary Committee members spent several hours on March 3 pressing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem on the department’s enforcement practices, recent deadly encounters involving federal agents and the use of taxpayer dollars for a $220 million ad campaign.

Chair (Speaker 1) opened the hearing by faulting the prior DHS leadership and saying Congress will act on sanctuary jurisdiction policies, announcing a planned markup of legislation he called the Sanctuary Shutdown Act. “Three years ago, secretary Mayorkas sat at that table and told this committee the border is secure,” the chair said in his opening comments, framing the hearing around enforcement failures and the committee’s pending legislation.

The hearing pivoted quickly to allegations about use of force and labeling of civilians. Ranking Member (Speaker 2) accused the department of misleading the public and of improperly labeling people involved in fatal encounters; he asked whether DHS would cooperate with local investigations into the deaths of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy. Secretary Noem said those incidents are the subject of internal reviews and external investigations and that the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility and National Use of Force Board are involved. “These investigations are ongoing,” she said during exchanges about the Minneapolis and Buffalo cases.

Lawmakers pressed Noem for operational details and statistics. When asked how many detainers ICE issued to local jails in 2025, the department provided a figure: “It was 201,340,” the secretary said. Members also raised the number of detainers jurisdictions declined; the secretary said 17,864 detainers were declined in the referenced period, arguing that noncooperation by some local jurisdictions leaves potentially removable individuals on the street.

Contracting and advertising spending drew sustained scrutiny. Multiple members questioned the department’s $220 million outreach campaign, including a large award reported at roughly $143 million to a contractor identified as SafeAmerica Media. Lawmakers asked whether the procurement was competitive, pointed to the contractor’s recent incorporation and possible links to political operatives, and sought inspector general review. Secretary Noem defended the outreach’s effectiveness in deterring migration flows abroad and said the inspector general has access to department records with appropriate scoping memos.

Members also raised FEMA grant delays and the department’s internal spending controls. Representatives described stalled grants and budget modifications for wildfire mitigation projects and urged the secretary to expedite approvals; Noem said FEMA processes sometimes require extensive documentation to prevent fraud and pledged to follow up on specific cases.

Other lines of questioning covered detention conditions, medical care for detainees and the department’s use of administrative warrants. Several members relayed video evidence of enforcement operations and asked whether agents are trained to execute those tactics. Noem said officers receive constitutional and use-of-force training, characterized administrative warrants as lawful tools used sparingly, and said DHS has resumed and strengthened vetting processes in visa and refugee programs.

The hearing included a sustained partisan back-and-forth: Republican members generally defended the department’s enforcement priorities and cited reductions in fentanyl flows and removal numbers presented by the secretary; Democratic members emphasized alleged civil-rights abuses, court findings critical of DHS affidavits, and cases in which Americans or lawful residents were detained. Committee business ended with repeated requests to enter news reports, inspector-general documents and other materials into the record; the chair adjourned the hearing and allowed five legislative days for follow-up questions.

What happens next: the committee announced plans to mark up sanctuary-related legislation. No formal votes were taken at this hearing; oversight follow-up and document requests are expected.

Sources and quotes above are drawn from the committee transcript and members’ on-the-record exchanges with Secretary Noem.