Secretary Kristi Noem tours the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
"Sir. Senator, thank you for the question. But what I would tell you is that we are following court orders. I'm certain that your advocacy for a known terrorist is alarming," she fired back.
"Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and should never have been in this country and will not be coming back to this country," Noem told Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in a heated exchange at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday morning.
"There is no scenario where an Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again. If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again because he is a terrorist. He's a human smuggler, and he is a wife-beater," she continued.
Murphy had asked the secretary if she had "reached out to your counterpart in El Salvador to facilitate Mr. Abrego Garcia's release."
"Does the Supreme Court decision not require you to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia?" Murphy later asked.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia during traffic stop. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)
Several Democrats have argued that he was not given proper due process and that the evidence that he is a member of MS-13, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration, is not sufficient to justify his removal.
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Noem faced mixed reactions of praise and intense criticism at the hearing on Thursday, as Republicans applauded the department's efforts on illegal immigration, whereas Democrats raised concerns about spending and legal processes.
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo, Emma Colton and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-trump-official-torches-dem-senators-advocacy-known-terrorist-fiery-hearing-alarming