On Dec. 11, 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was sharply questioned by House Democrats during a contentious Capitol Hill hearing about the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) directly asked whether DHS had deported any military veterans; Noem replied that the department had not. Magaziner then held up a tablet showing Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart–decorated U.S. Army veteran, joining the hearing by Zoom.
Magaziner told the committee that Park was shot twice while serving in Panama in 1989 and later struggled with PTSD and substance abuse. He said Park had been arrested in the 1990s for minor drug offenses, had not hurt anyone else, and had been clean and sober for 14 years. Magaziner said Park ultimately self-deported to South Korea after facing a removal order.
When Magaziner asked whether she would thank Park for his service, Noem replied, “Sir, I’m grateful for every single person that has served our country and follows our laws.” She also agreed to review Park’s case in response to the congressman’s question.
A DHS spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, later said Magaziner did not mention Park’s criminal history, while noting that an immigration judge issued an order of removal in 2010 and the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed Park’s appeal in April 2011. McLaughlin said that, with a final order of removal and no legal basis to remain in the U.S., Park “was allowed to self-deport to Korea.” Magaziner had addressed aspects of Park’s past during his remarks.
Magaziner also introduced another veteran, Jim Brown of Troy, Missouri, who was sitting in the hearing gallery. Magaziner described Brown’s wife, a native of Ireland who has lived in the U.S. for 48 years, as detained and facing deportation; he said her only criminal record was writing two bad checks totaling $80 several years ago.
The exchanges were part of a broader Republican-led hearing focused on security threats, during which Democrats pressed Noem on the human consequences of recent deportation practices and sought assurances the department would review individual cases raised during testimony.