You have to love it when the radical left’s attempt to smear a Trump appointee blows up in their face, and Rep. Seth Magaziner’s (D-RI) ambush of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during the House Homeland Security Committee hearing on December 10, 2025, is a textbook case. Magaziner thought he had a gotcha moment, trotting out Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart veteran deported to South Korea, to shame Noem over Trump’s immigration enforcement. “Earlier this year, you deported him to Korea, a country he has not lived in since he was seven,” Magaziner declared, demanding Noem thank Park for his service. But Noem, ever the pro, said she would, while reminding him, “America’s laws needed to be enforced.”
Video:
🚨 BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing – lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a “gotcha”: “We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported.”
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park… pic.twitter.com/oWruA7mTS9
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 11, 2025
Don’t trust the media:
This is why people hate congressional hearings and don’t trust the media.
ICE didn’t deport a veteran. Sae Joon Park self-deported to South Korea.
He never pursued citizenship during his decades here and his green card was revoked under Obama in 2009 due to drug possession. pic.twitter.com/Kd1MgSogtE
— Lydia Moynihan (@LJMoynihan) December 12, 2025
The setup was classic Democrat theater: Magaziner first asked how many veterans Noem had deported, and when she said none, he unveiled Park via Zoom, painting him as a victim of Trump’s cruelty. The image from the hearing shows Noem at the witness table, composed, with Magaziner gesturing dramatically, the committee backdrop framing the clash. But here’s where it backfired spectacularly—conservatives dug up the truth faster than Magaziner could tweet his “win.” Park wasn’t deported by Trump; he self-deported in June 2025 after nearly 50 years in the US, choosing to leave rather than face detention.
Video:
The real story? Park had a rap sheet a mile long—assault, weapon possession, carrying a loaded firearm in public, drug crimes—convictions that revoked his green card and earned him a 2009 removal order after three years in prison. He never pursued citizenship despite decades here. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called out Magaziner’s omissions, noting Park’s extensive criminal history. The New York Post headline from June 24, 2025, says it all: “Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports to South Korea after living in US for nearly 50 years.”
Magaziner’s narrative crumbled, turning his attack into an endorsement of Noem’s backbone. It’s the same pattern we’ve seen—Dems cry “inhumane” while ignoring facts, only for the truth to expose their lies. Noem’s not backing down, and Trump’s deportation push is working, with 2.5 million illegals gone. Magaziner’s stunt? Just another reason why midterms matter—vote for leaders who face facts, not fiction.
