Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee interrupted the panel’s Wednesday hearing on the Biden administration’s border crisis with repeated calls to subpoena top Trump administration officials over the White House’s deportation operation.
Democrats made an organized play to force the GOP-led committee to bring senior immigration officials before the House. However, all of their attempts were denied.
Led by ranking member Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Democrats unleashed a series of motions to force Department of Homeland Security and White House leaders before the committee to answer questions about who is being targeted for arrest and deportation.
“Secretary Noem has a lot to answer for, and it’s a dereliction of duty for Republicans to shield her from any semblance of oversight. Because of their failure, the American people will suffer,” the panel’s Democrats said in a press release issued after a pause in the hearing for afternoon votes.
Democrats’ primary complaint was that the committee has focused its hearings over the past six months on the border crisis that unfolded during the Biden administration rather than keeping a close eye on how the Trump administration is carrying out its own immigration policies.
Wednesday’s hearing was supposed to be about the role nonprofit organizations that received billions of federal funding played in assisting illegal immigrants released into the country between 2021 and 2024, which Democrats such as Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said was a thing of the past.
“We are here talking yet again about Joe Biden,” Goldman said. “Newsflash, Joe Biden is not the president. He hasn’t been the president for seven months. So if we are going to conduct oversight here, why are we doing it about the Biden administration?”
Thompson moved early on to subpoena Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but his effort was shut down by Republicans.
Today @BennieGThompson moved to SUBPOENA Kristi Noem.
She bungled the response to the flooding in Texas.
She’s deported kids with cancer.
She’s harassed and fired agency experts.
And she has serious questions to answer. pic.twitter.com/fl71N78uHf
— House Homeland Security Committee Democrats (@HomelandDems) July 16, 2025
Next, Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) said the committee leadership should have brought acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons before them to discuss how the federal agency is going after, detaining, and removing illegal immigrants from the United States.
“I move that the committee subpoena Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE,” Correa said.
Correa’s effort was blocked in a subsequent vote.
Next, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) moved to subpoena DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, but Republicans moved to set that motion aside.
@RepSwalwell just moved to subpoena Stephen Miller.
Republicans don’t work for Donald Trump, they work for the people.
If Republicans in Congress wont hold this Administration accountable for detaining 6 year olds with cancer in horrid conditions, then Democrats will. pic.twitter.com/qGCOQNdRsM
— House Homeland Security Committee Democrats (@HomelandDems) July 16, 2025
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) requested the committee subpoena White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
“This issue is pretty simple. Go after the worst and protect the most vulnerable, the ones who are contributing to our community,” Swalwell said. “So if our Republican colleagues are not up for holding the administration accountable, then Democrats will.”
The chaos unfolded under guest chairmen Reps. Michael Guest (R-MS) and Clay Higgins (R-LA), who are contenders to take over the gavel next week when the current chairman leaves.
HOW FLORIDA IS HELPING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROUND UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), who was absent Wednesday, announced last month that he would resign from Congress effective July 20 to pursue a job in the private sector.
Green’s departure comes months after his wife accused him of having an affair with a woman in Washington and issued a harsh warning to the wives of fellow lawmakers to look out for women “predators.”