During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker confronted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over a series of sworn statements that Booker said were false. Noem declined to provide an “accurate number” of U.S. citizens detained by ICE, yet public records show at least 170 incidents of American detainees, including 20 children, dating back to last October in recent months.

Booker cited the case of Isaias Pena Salcedo, a U.S. citizen held for 70 hours after presenting his passport, to illustrate ICE’s overreach. He also referenced a Chicago shooting of citizen Marimar Martinez, a raid on a Minneapolis high‑school, and a recent Columbia University dorm abduction, arguing that DHS agents repeatedly entered schools and ignored court orders, with judges tallying dozens of violations.

Facing accusations of perjury and civil‑rights breaches, Noem defended her record while Booker demanded her resignation or impeachment. The exchange fuels congressional scrutiny of DHS spending and could pressure investors in firms tied to immigration contracts, as uncertainty over enforcement priorities may affect valuation of security‑service providers. The hearing underscores mounting political risk surrounding the department’s operational transparency.