WASHINGTON – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was grilled on Capitol Hill, facing questions related to her department’s immigration efforts, including whether United States military veterans have been deported under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-Rhode Island, invited Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart recipient who self-deported earlier this year due to a removal order, to join the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing through a video call on Zoom. During the five minutes he had allotted to question Noem, Magaziner asked the secretary how many military veterans have been deported.
"Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans," Noem responded.
Magaziner went on to introduce Park, a U.S. Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving in Panama in 1989. Park came to the U.S. at the age of 7 from South Korea. In the 1990s, Park had a drug addiction and was arrested for minor drug offenses, Magazine said.
Park, who battled a crack cocaine addiction, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping, according to NPR. As a Green Card holder, those charges hurt his chances to become naturalized, the outlet reported.
