\nImmigration, Officials, Face, Intense, Congressional<\/span>
\nU.S. Immigration Officials Face Intense Congressional Grilling Over Trump Administration’s Aggressive Cr<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
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By Juba Global News Network Staff<\/strong> A tense, hours-long hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security on February 10, 2026, turned into a defining early test of the second Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. Top officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)\u2014including Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner, and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott\u2014faced sharp questioning from both Republican supporters seeking assurances of aggressive action and Democratic lawmakers accusing the administration of “cruelty,” “family separation redux,” and violations of due process.<\/p>\n The hearing, titled “Securing the Border and Enforcing Immigration Laws: A New Direction,” came just weeks after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders reinstating “Remain in Mexico,” expanding expedited removal nationwide, ending catch-and-release for most border crossers, and directing ICE to prioritize all removable noncitizens regardless of criminal history or time in the U.S. The result has been the most rapid escalation of interior enforcement operations since 2019, with ICE reporting over 12,000 administrative arrests in the first 25 days of the new term\u2014more than triple the monthly average of the final Biden year.<\/p>\n Secretary Noem opened with a forceful defense of the administration’s approach:<\/p>\n “Under the previous administration, we had catch-and-release on a historic scale. Millions of people were released into American communities with little to no vetting. That era is over. We are only getting started. Every person who is unlawfully present and subject to removal will be prioritized. There will be no safe havens for those who violate our laws.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She cited early statistics: ICE detention beds at 105% capacity (up from 38% in late 2024), more than 1,200 Title 42-style expulsions per day under new public-health authorities, and the reactivation of military support at the border under Operation Faithful Patriot II.<\/p>\n Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-MS) countered sharply, accusing the administration of “manufacturing a crisis to justify mass deportations”:<\/p>\n “We are witnessing the largest and fastest roundup of immigrants in modern American history. Children are being separated from parents again. Communities are living in fear. Workplaces are being raided. This is not enforcement; this is terror.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Several Democratic members displayed photos of children in detention facilities, read testimonies from deported parents, and questioned the humanitarian impact of ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 700,000 people from Haiti, Venezuela, Sudan, and other countries.<\/p>\n DHS officials provided the following early figures (January 20\u2013February 9, 2026):<\/p>\n The administration has also resumed “vertical enforcement” (targeting individuals with final removal orders but who remained in the community) and expanded use of the INA \u00a7 287(g) program, deputizing hundreds more local law-enforcement officers to perform immigration functions.<\/p>\n Acting ICE Director Lechleitner emphasized that the agency was “following the law as written by Congress,” noting that roughly 85% of those arrested had criminal convictions or pending charges, though he acknowledged that the priority now includes all removable noncitizens.<\/p>\n Democrats highlighted several flashpoints:<\/p>\n Multiple lawsuits have already been filed in federal courts in California, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C., challenging the legality of nationwide expedited removal, the revocation of TPS designations, and the use of military assets for domestic immigration enforcement. Early injunction requests are pending.<\/p>\n Republican committee members largely praised the pace and scope of enforcement. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), the committee chairman, stated:<\/p>\n “For four years Americans watched as our borders were erased. President Trump is delivering on his promise to restore sovereignty and the rule of law. The American people demanded this action, and they are getting it.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Recent polls show polarized views: Rasmussen Reports found 58% of likely voters approve of the crackdown, while Pew Research indicated 64% of Democrats view the measures as “too extreme” and 71% of Republicans say they are “about right” or “not tough enough.”<\/p>\n DHS officials acknowledged logistical challenges: detention capacity is nearing its practical limit, deportation flights are constrained by diplomatic agreements with receiving countries, and ICE field offices are reporting burnout among agents working 12\u201314 hour shifts.<\/p>\n Secretary Noem indicated the administration would seek emergency supplemental funding from Congress to expand detention beds, hire more deportation officers, and accelerate removal flights. She also hinted at forthcoming regulations to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (“Remain in Mexico”) on a broader scale and potentially designate additional countries for expedited removal.<\/p>\n As the hearing adjourned, both sides agreed on one point: the immigration enforcement landscape has changed dramatically in just weeks, and the coming months will test the administration’s ability to sustain this level of activity against inevitable legal, logistical, and political headwinds.<\/p>\n Juba Global News Network will continue to track the implementation of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, its impact on communities, and the unfolding legal battles, providing balanced coverage from our vantage point in East Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Juba Global News Network Staff JubaGlobal.com February 11, 2026 \u2013 Juba, South Sudan A tense, hours-long hearing before the House Committee on Homeland S<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1426,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[830,1,785],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-news","category-southamerica"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1426"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5833"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22501,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5833\/revisions\/22501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
February 11, 2026 \u2013 Juba, South Sudan<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1977\/2026\/02\/IMG_2886.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\nKey Moments from the Hearing<\/h3>\n
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Enforcement Surge: Numbers and Tactics<\/h3>\n
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Democratic Criticism and Legal Challenges<\/h3>\n
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Republican Support and Public Opinion Divide<\/h3>\n
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Looking Ahead: Sustaining the Pace<\/h3>\n