During the confirmation hearing for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, former President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Republican lawmakers repeatedly misrepresented immigration and crime statistics.

The hearing, held on Friday, highlighted the contentious rhetoric that could shape the incoming administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.

Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) alleged that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, under President Joe Biden, had “allowed” approximately 400 individuals on the terrorism watch list to enter the country illegally.

Governor Noem echoed similar figures, claiming the Biden administration had “let in” individuals considered security risks.

However, these assertions do not align with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

CBP statistics refer to “encounters” with individuals on the terrorist watch list rather than individuals being “allowed” into the country.

DHS explains that most noncitizens flagged at ports of entry are found inadmissible and are either immediately repatriated or detained for law enforcement action.

Those apprehended attempting to cross the border without inspection are similarly detained or removed.

The terrorism watch list includes not only “known or suspected terrorists” (KSTs) but also their associates, including family members.

This broad categorization means not everyone flagged is a terrorist.

While isolated cases of individuals entering the U.S. undetected have occurred, they are subject to arrest and expulsion.

Republicans also seized on data regarding individuals with criminal convictions, including homicide.

Moreno claimed the Biden administration had “let in about 12,000 murderers,” a figure repeatedly misrepresented by former President Trump during his campaigns.

This claim appears to be based on data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) “non-detained docket.”

As of July 2024, the non-detained docket included 13,099 individuals with past homicide convictions.

However, this figure reflects decades of data and does not indicate individuals “let in” during the Biden administration.

Many on the docket are serving prison sentences in federal and state institutions, and DHS notes that most noncitizens convicted of homicide are ineligible for release from ICE custody.

The non-detained docket has grown under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

For example, a 2016 DHS Inspector General report found 368,000 individuals with criminal convictions on the docket during the Obama administration.

By June 2021, five months after Trump left office, the number had risen to 405,786. It reached 435,719 by July 2024, according to ICE data provided to Rep. Tony Gonzales.

Governor Noem shifted the focus to the southern border, calling it “the No. 1 threat to our homeland security.”

However, the claim that the border poses the most significant security threat is not universally accepted.

Data from the last 50 years show no recorded terrorist attacks in the U.S. carried out by individuals who entered the country illegally.

Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, has studied the intersection of immigration and crime extensively and confirmed this.

Republicans’ emphasis on the southern border as a key point of entry for individuals on the terrorism watch list is misleading.

DHS data from the past seven years indicates that most encounters with individuals on the watch list occurred at ports of entry on the Canadian border.

Exceptions include fiscal years 2019 and 2021, when the majority occurred at the southern border.

Governor Noem’s own statements demonstrated a notable discrepancy.

While she accused the Biden administration of “letting in” individuals on the watch list, she credited the Trump administration for ensuring such individuals were “removed from the country and faced consequences.”

The confirmation hearing highlighted a pattern of Republican lawmakers using exaggerated or misleading statistics to amplify fears surrounding immigration and crime.

As the incoming administration prepares to shape its policies, scrutiny of such claims will remain critical to maintaining an informed public dialogue.