Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confronted Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Wednesday over his repeated efforts to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien currently imprisoned in El Salvador and accused of ties to MS-13.

During the hearing, Goldman questioned Noem about DHS’s handling of Abrego Garcia’s deportation and asked what steps the department had taken to bring him back to the United States.

Abrego Garcia has been deported from the U.S. and is under investigation for multiple offenses, including alleged gang affiliation, human trafficking, and domestic violence.

In response, Noem firmly defended the department’s actions and issued a sharp rebuke to Goldman.

“It’s got to be extremely discouraging to be one of your constituents,” Noem said.

“To see you fight for a terrorist like this and not fight for them is extremely alarming to me and I’m sure it is to your constituents.”

“It’s got to be extremely discouraging to be one of your constituents…to see you fight for a terrorist like [Abrego Garcia] and not fight for them is extremely alarming.”@Sec_Noem has a message for the Dems defending illegal alien MS-13 members at the expense of Americans. pic.twitter.com/QZKPUB2OMw

— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) May 14, 2025

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Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador after being accused of membership in the transnational criminal gang MS-13.

In addition to that accusation, he is being investigated in connection with a human trafficking operation in Tennessee that was active in 2022.

According to ongoing investigations, a convicted felon operating a human smuggling ring informed FBI agents that Abrego Garcia was recruited to assist in moving individuals illegally across the southern border and into the U.S. interior.

The smuggler reportedly claimed that Abrego Garcia’s role was to help evade law enforcement detection during the operation.

At the time of the alleged smuggling activity, DHS had flagged Abrego Garcia as a national security concern.

He had also previously been accused twice by his wife of domestic abuse, though the outcomes of those accusations were not discussed during the hearing.

Abrego Garcia is currently being held in prison in San Salvador, El Salvador.

DHS has confirmed that if he attempts to return to the United States, he will be deported again.

The hearing marked the latest development in a broader investigation by the House Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Rep. Mark Green (R-TN).

Green opened a formal probe into Abrego Garcia’s ties to the Tennessee human trafficking network, as part of the committee’s review of threats posed by transnational criminal organizations.

Rep. Goldman, a former federal prosecutor, continued to press Noem during the hearing, but the DHS secretary maintained her position that Abrego Garcia should not be in the United States and that the department acted properly under federal immigration laws.

Noem’s testimony emphasized that DHS has procedures in place to deport individuals with serious criminal allegations and reiterated the agency’s stance that national security and public safety remain top priorities.

The exchange between Noem and Goldman highlighted partisan divides over immigration enforcement and the handling of cases involving foreign nationals with alleged ties to violent criminal organizations.

No additional comments were made by the committee on whether further action would be taken regarding Abrego Garcia.

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