https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogbnDRhGE-k
May 8, 2025
At today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Chris Murhpy (D-CT) questioned DHS Sec. Kristi Noem about Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Transcript
into that thank you thank you Vice Chair
Murphy
thank you very much um Madam Secretary
AI is an enormous growing industry
critical to the future economic health
of the country we have had the benefit
over the years of the top talent in AI
researchers students coming to the
United States uh to help us grow that
industry um but for the first time in
the last 15 years um there are more topt
talented individuals and workers in AI
leaving the country than coming here and
the reason is pretty simple um people
who are coming here to work from
overseas through the visa program are
very uncertain about what their rights
are um and that is because of the
actions this administration has taken so
I think it's important to get on the
record uh for those individuals who are
here currently and those thinking of
coming to the United States to work or
to study to understand what their rights
are so let me ask you a a a series of of
of pretty simple questions um the
probably the the key of right uh amongst
the five freedoms is the right to free
speech the right to express your own
personal opinion about politics culture
the economy do you believe that you have
the right to detain or deport a US
citizen for simply expressing their
political opinion a US citizen no no do
you believe that you have the right to
detain or deport a legal permanent
resident for expressing their political
opinion i don't make decisions on legal
status here in the United States the
Department of State does that and I
would say that as they've gone through
an evaluation of who gets a visa who
gets legal status green cards uh they've
been evaluating and discussing um how
that applies well I I acknowledge that
you don't I acknowledge you don't make
but if someone is a legal permanent
resident of the United States i'm not
talking about an H-1B or a student visa
holder i'm talking about a legal
permanent resident if you are a legal
permanent resident do you have the right
to detain or deport that person simply
for expressing their political opinion
the uh Department of State makes those
decisions department you make that you
make that decision about who you have
the right to detain or deport so do you
you are involved in that do you believe
the United States do you believe the law
allows the Department of Homeland
Security under the Trump administration
is enforcing the law following the
constitutional rights of folks who are
here as citizens those who are here
legally and those who are here illegally
so a legal permanent resident is by
definition here legally do you believe I
I mean I think this is really troubling
if you can't answer this simple question
do you believe that the US government
can detain and deport a legal permanent
resident for expressing a political
opinion that the depart that the
administration disagrees with the
determination you're asking for is based
on uh things that you are determining
that the secretary of state has
considered and evaluated we don't
evaluate that the administration along
with a partnership with the department
of state on what is political speech and
what's an affiliation with a foreign
terrorist do you do you believe that's
the difference between that you're
asking that you can detain the
directional permanent resident for
expressing a political we have not
detained or we have not deported anybody
who's a legal permanent resident or
citizen of the United then say you don't
have the ability to do that clarif
clarify that for the millions of that is
exactly what I'm doing is that we have
followed exactly what the law is and
that we have not detained or deported
anybody who's a citizen or has legal
status in this country we are focused on
the worst of the worst dangerous crime
you do not believe you have do not
believe you have the ability to do that
we have not done that at all and the
Trump administration has no plans well
just because you haven't done it doesn't
mean that you won't do it in the future
you believe you have the ability to do
that are doing the exact appropriate
thing in partnership with the Department
of State and in partnership with the
Trump administration have you read the I
I assume you have read the Supreme Court
uh decision in the case of Kilmargo
Garcia yes um that um court decision
requires the administration to
facilitate uh Kilmargo Garcia's release
from El Salvador can you describe the
steps that you have taken uh to
facilitate this release and specifically
can you answer as to whether you have
reached out to your counterpart in El
Salvador to facilitate uh Mr garcia's
release grego Garcia is a citizen of El
Salvador and should never have been in
this country and will not be coming back
to this country there is no scenario
where Garcia will be in the United
States again if he were to come back we
would immediately deport him again
because he is a terrorist he's a human
smuggler and he is a wife beater does
Does the You've read the Supreme Court
decision does the Supreme Court decision
not require you to facilitate the return
of Mr obrego Garcia the Trump
administration is complying with all
court orders and judges orders does does
the does the Supreme Court order require
you to facilitate the return Garcia is a
citizen of El Salvador it is up to the
president of the Al Salvador to make the
decision is coming back it's been a big
topic of conversation between all of us
between the country when the president
visited the United States of America it
was discussed and talked about there the
president has been very clear on this
issue as the secretary of state uh and I
have as well abrego Garcia is not a
citizen of this country and is a
dangerous individual who does not belong
here i will I will end I will not ask
another question Madam Chair
we would immediately The discussion ends
when the Supreme Court rules 90 that you
have to facilitate his release and the
fact that you can't even acknowledge the
the wording of the order which commands
you to facilitate his release and you
advertise to this committee that you are
going to willfully ignore the ruling and
that is incredibly chilling for the
balance of powers in in in a democracy
that relies on the executive branch to
honor decisions made by the highest
court of the land
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