WATCH LIVE: Kristi Noem testifies at Senate confirmation hearing for DHS secretary

Gov. Kristi Noem will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday for her confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of homeland security.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. EST. Watch live in our player above.

Noem is a rancher and former Republican member of Congress representing South Dakota. A close ally of and frequent surrogate for President-elect Donald Trump on the campaign trail, Noem this week called migration across the US southern border “nothing less than an invasion.”

READ MORE: The South Dakota tribe lifts its ban on Noem ahead of her Homeland Security confirmation hearing

In 2021, she sent South Dakota National Guard members to the US-Mexico border with funding from a wealthy Republican donor.

Trump has promised that initiate mass deportations of undocumented immigrants soon after he is inaugurated. If confirmed, Noem will play a key role in carrying out his immigration crackdown at the helm of the Department of Homeland Security, one of the largest federal agencies.

This story is in development and will be updated.

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