Jordan sets up sanctuary city fight

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan on Wednesday used a House Judiciary Committee hearing with embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as a scene-setter for legislation he plans to mark up Thursday that would crack down on sanctuary cities — jurisdictions that refuse to honor federal immigration detainers.

Democrats used the same hearing to hammer Noem over the shooting deaths of two Minneapolis residents by federal agents and what they characterized as systematic civil liberties abuses by her department.

The partisan divide in the hearing room extended to the audience.

Behind Noem sat rows of Angel families — relatives of Americans killed by people in the country illegally — holding photographs of their deceased loved ones. Noem read more than 20 victims’ names in her opening statement, and GOP members repeatedly invited the families to stand to be recognized.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington brought four U.S. citizens who she said were unlawfully detained by ICE agents into the hearing room as audience members. She had them stand as she read their stories aloud. All said they’d been detained simply for legally monitoring or protesting ICE activity.

Jordan, the Champaign County Republican whose district includes Lima and who chairs the committee, has been building toward the sanctuary city legislation for weeks.

In a recent interview, he told cleveland.com that sanctuary jurisdictions — 18 major cities, 11 states and the District of Columbia — “just give federal law enforcement the finger” when ICE sends detainer notices asking local jails to hold individuals before releasing them. He said the legislation from his committee will eliminate the practice.

At Wednesday’s hearing, he pressed Noem on the numbers. She told him ICE issued 201,340 detainers in 2025, and that 17,864 of them were declined. Jordan asked whether it was fair to say many of those individuals were then released onto the streets. She told him he was correct.

“Is that the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?” Jordan asked her.

“It is the dumbest,” she replied.

Noem used her opening statement to defend her department’s record. She said fentanyl trafficking at the southern border is down 56%, more than 700,000 people have been detained and deported, more than 2.2 million more have left voluntarily, and that 1,500 known or suspected terrorists have been arrested.

“The reason that I do this job every single day,” she said, “is somebody has to do the right thing.”

Democrats hammer on Minneapolis deaths

The committee’s top Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, highlighted the cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — two Minneapolis residents shot and killed by federal agents. He questioned why Noem initially described both as domestic terrorists and repeatedly pressed her to retract the label.

“Based on what you know today, Madam Secretary, were Renee Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists?” he asked.

Noem offered condolences and cited ongoing investigations.

Raskin noted that her own acting ICE Director, Todd Lyons, had already admitted before Congress the characterization was wrong.

“This is your guy,” Raskin said. “Why won’t you admit it?” Noem did not retract the statement.

Raskin then asked Noem a series of yes-or-no legal questions.

Is it lawful for federal agents to shoot someone for peaceful protest?

“No,” Noem said.

For filming them on a public street?

“No.”

For lawfully carrying a holstered firearm?

“No.”

For simply driving away?

“No.”

“I’m glad you got the law right,” Raskin said, “and I hope you would rethink what you said about two good, honest, faithful American citizens.”

After introducing audience members who were held for monitoring or protesting ICE activities, Jayapal asked Noem if she had anything “to say to them, or the millions of American citizens across the country that are watching this and horrified at what your department is doing?”

“Context is critical in each of these situations,” Noem replied.

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California asked whether a single ICE agent or CBP officer had been disciplined since Noem took office. “Yes, they have,” she said, but could not provide specifics or confirm anyone had been fired.

Throughout, Noem defended her department by pointing to internal review processes and her officers’ training. “As the Secretary of Homeland Security, it’s my job to get up every day to be concerned for American citizens,” she said. “They are my priority.”

One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, broke from the partisan pattern to raise the issue of body cameras — something Democrats had also pushed. Noem acknowledged ICE has cameras deployed but said the department lacks funding to maintain the systems, and asked Congress to address it.

Jordan closed his questioning by previewing Thursday’s markup of what he is calling the Sanctuary Shutdown Act of 2026. “Help is on the way,” he told Noem, “because we’re going to mark up legislation that will deal with this.”