The Senate on Saturday confirmed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as the next Homeland Security secretary. The vote was 59–34, with seven Democrats joining all Republicans in favor: Sens. John Fetterman (PA), Maggie Hassan (NH), Tim Kaine (VA), Andy Kim (NJ), Gary Peters (MI), Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Elissa Slotkin (MI). The incoming DHS secretary told senators at her confirmation hearing that she would prioritize border security, saying President Trump has a “clear mandate” from the American people to enact his ambitious agenda. “As a nation, we have the right and a responsibility to protect our borders against those who would do us harm,” she told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “And we must create a fair and a lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and that reflects our values.” She vowed to scale back humanitarian parole, limit the use of temporary immigration relief, and reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which would require asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. The $108 billion Homeland Security Department, which was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, is the third largest in the government, after the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department. It includes Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), among others. Watch the Senate debate and vote at c-span.org
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