WASHINGTON – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning on Capitol Hill Thursday over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, with Democrats pressing her on cases involving military veterans.
During the hearing, Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) asked whether DHS had deported any U.S. military veterans, to which Noem responded that the department had not. Magaziner then introduced Sae Joon Park via Zoom, a Purple Heart recipient who was shot twice while serving in the U.S. Army in Panama in 1989 and later deported to South Korea under Trump-era policies. Magaziner detailed that Park struggled with PTSD and substance abuse after his service, had minor drug offenses in the 1990s, and had been sober for 14 years. When asked if she would thank Park for his service, Noem replied, “Sir, I’m grateful for every single person who has served our country and follows our laws.”
A DHS spokesperson later noted that Park had a criminal history, stating that a 2010 immigration judge issued a removal order, and his appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals was dismissed in 2011, leading to his voluntary deportation to Korea. Noem told Magaziner she would review Park’s case.
Magaziner also highlighted the case of Jim Brown, a veteran from Troy, Missouri, whose wife, an Irish native, has lived in the U.S. for 48 years but faced detention and deportation over two minor bad checks written several years ago. The hearing spotlighted the tension between immigration enforcement and consideration for military service, prompting scrutiny of how DHS applies deportation policies to veterans and their families.
