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Kristi Noem at her confirmation hearing: 'Without borders, we are not a nation'

"The president and I have talked extensively about this and we are going to partner 100 percent to reinstate the program to stay in Mexico," Noem acknowledged during questioning.

Kristi Noem testifica en el Senado sobre su nominación como secretaria de Seguridad Nacional

Kristi Noem testifies in Senate on her nomination as Homeland Security secretary.AFP / Saul Loeb.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the Department of Homeland Security post, showed herself to be a strong candidate during her confirmation hearing before the Homeland Security Committee, which lasted nearly three hours on Friday.

Noem, whose nomination drew criticism at the time, was grilled most of the time on the immigration policy to be imposed by the Trump administration and defended an idea that won her praise among conservatives: "[We must] make sure our nation is a nation with borders, or we're no nation at all."

“Border security must remain a top priority,” Noem said. “As a nation, we have the right and the responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm, and we must create a fair and a lawful immigration system that is efficient and is effective and that reflects our values.”

Then, in other passages, Noem defended several of the immigration measures proposed by the incoming administration.

First, she stated that from the first day in office she would eliminate a program that allows migrants to schedule appointments at a port of entry, known as CBP One, and she will also seek to reinstate the policy that forces asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are being resolved in the United States.

"The president and I have talked extensively about this and will 100% partner with him to reinstate the the Remain in Mexico policy and make sure that it's in place," Noem said.

In another prominent exchange, Noem, who aims to lead one of the country's most important departments due to the immigration crisis and Americans' lack of trust in Security institutions, answered Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who questioned her about the alleged 1,000 children who were "separated from their families" during the first Trump administration.

"What I'm alarmed by is the over 300,000 children that went missing during the Biden administration," Noem replied.

Blumenthal, who was taken aback by the response, said he didn't want to turn the issue into a data question. But Noem insisted: "I can't put aside 300,000 children."

If confirmed, Noem would not only be in charge of the agency in charge of the country's immigration policies and police operations on the southern border, but also of the Secret Service, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In fact, Noem promised that, on her watch, more details would be provided and questions about Secret Service security lapses in assassination attempts against President Trump in 2024 would be answered.

“As secretary, I will oversee the Secret Service, an agency that is in serious need of reforms,” she said. “We all saw the threats to President-elect Trump last year and the consequences of failure. Now, that should never happen again.”

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