• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Kristi Noem will face oversight hearings if Democrats retake Congress in 2026.
• Jeffries accused the Trump administration of violating due process and secretly deporting law-abiding immigrant families.
• Past clashes show Noem is likely to face sharp Democratic scrutiny, including over her constitutional interpretations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned Monday that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will be among the first Trump officials called before Congress should Democrats regain the majority in the 2026 midterms.

Appearing on The Bulwark podcast with Tim Miller, Jeffries pledged aggressive oversight of the administration’s immigration policies, saying Noem would face early questioning about the treatment of migrants.

Promising Oversight

“It’s my expectation that Kristi Noem will be one of the first people hauled up to Congress shortly after the gavels change hands,” Jeffries said. He accused the administration of showing “a lack of respect for due process, for the rule of law,” and of deploying masked agents against “law-abiding immigrant communities.”

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Jeffries further alleged that in some cases individuals were “disappeared” to other countries without sufficient evidence of criminal activity. While stressing support for deporting violent criminals, he rejected the targeting of families. “Not law-abiding immigrant families, including in some instances, U.S. citizen children who’ve been sent overseas to a place that they’ve never known,” he argued.

A Preview of What’s Ahead

Jeffries’ remarks signaled that immigration enforcement could become a central Democratic oversight priority if the balance of power shifts. “All of this is going to require aggressive oversight activity,” he declared.

Noem, for her part, has already sparred with Democrats in high-profile hearings. During a Senate exchange this spring, Maggie Hassan (D-NH) publicly corrected Noem after the secretary mischaracterized habeas corpus as a presidential power to remove people from the U.S.

“Habeas corpus is a constitutional right the president has to be able to remove people from this country,” Noem asserted. Hassan shot back: “Excuse me, that’s incorrect… habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people.”

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When Noem insisted the president could decide on suspending habeas corpus, Hassan countered: “It has never been done without approval of Congress. Even Abraham Lincoln got retroactive approval from Congress.”

Looking Toward 2026

The clash illustrates the stormy hearings that may await if Democrats regain control. With immigration enforcement already a flashpoint issue, Jeffries’ vow suggests a bruising political fight is on the horizon.

Will Democrats use oversight as accountability — or will it become another partisan battlefield?

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