Kristi NoemPresident-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, will oversee the controversial CBP One app and related immigrant parole program that has allowed nearly 1.5 million immigrants into the United States. He told lawmakers it would end.
“Yes, Senator, if I am confirmed and I have the opportunity to be secretary, CBP One will be shut down on the first day,” Noem, R-Missouri, said during her confirmation hearing on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. told Senator Josh Hawley.
Noem was first asked by Hawley if the southern border was safe.
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Homeland Security on January 17, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo courtesy of SAUL LOEB/AFP)
“Senator, no, our southern border is not secure today. But in just three days, this country will have a new president, President Donald J. Trump, and he will make our border secure. “Yes,” she said.
She was then asked about the use of the CBP One app, which allows immigrants to be paroled into the United States. The app was created during the first Trump administration to help schedule cargo inspections. However, in 2023, the program was expanded to initially allow immigrants to make reservations at ports of entry where they are admitted under an exception to Section 42 of the Public Health Order, and then, starting in May, allow them to enter the U.S. on parole. What happened was controversial. Part of the Biden administration's expansion of “legal channels.”
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As of the end of December, more than 936,500 people had made parole appointments through the app, according to Customs and Border Protection.
This is linked to the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) parole process, which allows up to 30,000 people from these countries to go through the screening process each month and obtain permission to enter the United States. As of the end of December, approximately 531,000 citizens had been admitted through this program. It first applied to Venezuelans in October 2022, and to the other three nationalities in January 2023.
The Biden administration has said this is part of an effort to encourage legal immigration rather than illegal immigration and to curb illegal immigration from these groups, but opponents say it is an “unlawful” move against the masses. It was accused of being a “concierge service.” Immigration.
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem takes the oath of office during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Homeland Security on January 17, 2025 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo courtesy of SAUL LOEB/AFP)
Noem said she would end CBP One on her first day in office, but said the agency would retain some information.
“There is data and information there that we store and that we need to go find so that we can be sure that we know who is coming to this country and who is already here.” she declared.
She then pointed to CHNV and said, “Our federal government actually pays people to fly people directly into this country from other countries without vetting them or knowing who they are.” I sent him in,” he said.
“So some of these programs need to be removed and we need to make sure that we are following legal immigration laws,” she said.
Ms Hawley followed this up by asking if she intended to end “abuse” in the parole system.
“We will evaluate these parole cases on a case-by-case basis and make sure that the legal immigration system is fully utilized and that we have more judges and more immigration courts. If you cooperate, we will secure more resources. “Instead of using this as an excuse to allow people to come into our country with no consequences, as Joe Biden did, we will process people legally and make sure they follow the process.” So that we can pass,” she said.
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If confirmed, Noem will oversee DHS at a time when the agency is expected to launch a historic mass deportation operation targeting illegal immigrants in the United States, as well as border security at the northern and southern borders. It will also strengthen the
She will work with “border czar” Tom Homan, who was appointed by President Trump in November to lead operations and border security operations.
