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U.S. AG Says Seized Venezuelan Tanker Was in Illicit Oil Shipping Network; Nobel Laureate Confirms U.S. Helped Her Get out of Venezuela; Ukraine Ramps Up Attacks on Russian Energy Assets; U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Testifies about National Security Threats. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 11, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome back to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. We're standing by for U.S. Homeland
Security secretary Kristi Noem to appear before Congress in a hearing that is likely to draw sharp questions about the Trump administration's
crackdown.
First I want to bring you the very latest on Venezuela. The U.S. attorney general is offering an explanation on why the U.S. military seized an oil
tanker.
Pam Bondi released video of U.S. military personnel boarding the tanker Wednesday off Venezuela's coast, saying it has been under U.S. sanctions
for years for involvement in illicit oil shipping network.
Venezuela's government calls the seizure an act of international piracy. Satellite imagery and shipping data obtained by CNN show the tanker
concealed its true location while docked at a Venezuelan oil terminal last month.
All right. We've got Stefano Pozzebon back with us this hour from Caracas.
Stefano, I mean, obviously, the oil revenue is so vital for Venezuela's economy and, importantly, for Maduro. Tell me about the response internally
and, you know, whether there's a sense that this is going to be the first of many oil tankers that are going to be seized.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's truly vital. It's hard if you come to Venezuela from an international perspective to just understand
that how much the economy, the country, the government itself are dependent on that economic lifeline coming from the exports of oil.
We're talking about more than 90 percent of the foreign revenues of Venezuela as a whole, coming from exports.
And that's why I think that the Maduro government is indeed rattled, perhaps much more rattled than it has been in the last few weeks when the
U.S. tactic to put pressure on Maduro seemed to be going after alleged narco traffickers and speedboats that were traveling across the Caribbean.
The response just yesterday, they put out a statement, like you said, accusing the U.S. of an international theft. But I also think it's
important to point out that they're threatening legal action in several international tribunals.
Of course, the Venezuelan government has never accepted the sanctions and, frankly, the embargo that the United States are putting on their oil.
And, of course, it's interesting to understand if there will be also a judicial story, perhaps, at the International Court of Trade or arbitrary
tribunals in the future.
When it comes to Maduro himself, we were able to ask him a few questions yesterday at a rally here in Caracas. It was just a few minutes before the
news broke of that seizure. However, that's what he told me, when I asked him what was the message for president Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): Our message to the people of the United States remains the same, peace. Peace above all
else. No to crazy war. No to bloodshed for oil. No to war for oil, the recipe for eternal wars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: You see that he immediately pivoted toward oil. And we were not there to talk about oil. We were there to talk about the Venezuelan
opposition leader winning a Nobel Peace Prize and his response to Donald Trump in this rhetorical warfare.
And actually in this deployment of military assets in the Caribbean. But it's crucial. And you can see from Maduro's words, how this oil, how the
oil is vital for him, how important the oil issue is for him.
Whether this could be a new tactic employed again in the future, it's important to point attention to what Donald Trump said yesterday in
announcing the seizure, saying that there are other actions taking place.
And he used the present tense, almost hinting that something else is also going on in the strategy against Venezuela. The Venezuelan black market
fleet for tankers is dozens of vessels. Dozens of tankers that are used by Venezuelans to trade oil to countries like Cuba, India, China, Iran and
even Russia.
So it'll be interesting to see if indeed the United States will go after them as well or if those will be just one episode in this ongoing
confrontation between Washington and Caracas. Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right. Stefano Pozzebon, great to have you with us. Thanks so much.
Well, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado, confirms it was U.S. support that helped her get out of Venezuela. She spoke at
several news conferences in Oslo today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER AND NOBEL LAUREATE: They did not know where I was in hiding in Venezuela. So it was hard for them to
stop me.
[10:05:02]
And yes, we did get support from the United States government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: The opposition leader has been forced to hide after fighting for democratic rights in Venezuela, suffering persecution from the Maduro
regime.
Machado missed the award ceremony Wednesday night after arriving. Her daughter accepted the prize earlier today. CNN's Pau Mosquera asked her
government if they knew where she was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACHADO: I don't think they have known where I have been.
And certainly, they would have done everything to stop me from coming here, and actually, I want to take advantage of your question to thank all those
men and women that risked their lives so that I could be here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, joining us now live from Madrid is Vanessa Neumann. She's a former Venezuelan opposition diplomat, who fled with Juan Guaido in 2019.
She's also the founder of the political consultancy, Asymmetrica.
Great to have you with us, Vanessa. A really important time. And I want to start off with the Venezuelan oil tanker that was seized from Maduro. It
means a loss of revenue. A big question about whether the United States is going to seize a lot more of these oil tankers, because there is an oil
embargo on Venezuela.
What signal do you think this is sending to Maduro and his government?
VANESSA NEUMANN, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, ASYMMETRICA: Thank you. My name is pronounced Neumann but thank you for having me on.
The -- it's really, really important this. We have long -- and I wrote in my 2017 book about the networks of illicit financial flows that support the
Maduro regime. And that has only grown since that publication up until now. He lives basically -- is supported by three things, the illicit traffic in
oil, gold and narcotics.
So we know that there have been attacking their narcotics vessels where Venezuela is the biggest transshipment point both into Central America and
into Mexico and then the U.S. and also into West Africa and then onwards into the Canary Islands and Spain and Europe.
And now he's going after the oil. It's important to note that, although this seizure of an oil tanker might seem shocking, it is actually really an
action of sanctions enforcement. The oil is sanctioned. This ship was sanctioned. It was using a false flag of Guyana. And it has been involved
in sanctions transactions with Iran and with Cuba.
Now what's really important, there's two ways to look at it of what's important for Maduro. One is it's a loss of revenue, not for the world, not
for the world economy, because the price of oil, the world is a glut in oil. We don't really need Venezuelan oil. But Maduro needs that oil
revenue.
And we know that because he even released the American hostages in order to get a license to do business with Chevron, which he can't even meet because
he's too busy shipping illicit oil to Cuba, to Iran and to -- and to -- and to other countries that support him.
Now if he can't -- this ship was bound for Cuba. Cuba is also providing in exchange for that oil, the protection for Maduro, the counterintelligence
operations and the personal security around Maduro is financed by that oil shipment. So he's got two concerns, the loss of the revenue and the loss of
support or the financing of his own personal security.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, it's really fascinating when you break that down for us. But I wonder because there are around 27 to 30 oil tankers that leave
Venezuela on a monthly basis. That amounts to like 30 million barrels of oil monthly.
So you were anticipating more of these seizures?
NEUMANN: Absolutely. I think I do. We are anticipating far more of these seizures.
And in a way, so why not?
Because it has been sanctioned. Once again, when you when you are sanctioned, if you are a drug trafficker and your -- and your operations
are sanctions, they take your office, they take your home, they take your bank account.
So if this is not surprising that this would grow. It is part of the taking, you know, the financial asphyxiation of what is basically a
transnational criminal organization. And a lot of those transactions have been have been operated out of Dubai and out of Singapore who trade that
oil.
And Maduro doesn't get full price for the oil because of sanctions. He takes a loss. So he really needs to keep those tankers going. And this is
part of the financial asphyxiation strategy of the criminal regime that is Maduro.
GIOKOS: OK. So you've explained the exerting of pressure across the board. It's very clear some people are asking the question.
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Whether the United States should be involved in regime change, whether this is about democracy, whether you think it's about oil.
Which is it, do you believe?
NEUMANN: Well, I don't think anything is either/or. First of all, it is certainly about democracy in that Maduro -- and as we saw -- you mentioned
about Maria Corina Machado. You know, the speech of the Nobel Peace Prize was said by the Norwegians who gave her the prize.
The president of the committee gave in the speech, Maduro, please step down and accept your loss in last year's elections.
He has lost an election and is clinging to power basically through this illicit trafficking that does not benefit the Venezuelan people, who still
can't get medical care and basically can't get food unless you're a buddy of the regime, which is a very closed and elite -- an elite group.
So it is not about the -- it is not about oil, it is about asphyxiating a transnational criminal organization which is both in the national security
strategy published a few days ago and in the national defense authorization act that is currently before Congress and we expect to pass.
GIOKOS: So let's talk about Maria Corina Machado. Because she, you know, during her speech, was saying that the United States helped her leave
Venezuela. She alluded to perhaps getting back.
You were -- also you had to flee Venezuela in 2019. You have experience in this.
I mean, give me a sense of what could have transpired in the way that she was able to leave, because she also said it was really difficult and people
put their lives at risk to get her out.
NEUMANN: So I'll tell you the way she got out, which is the way a lot of people have gotten out, including Juan Guaido and others, is obviously
under the protection of U.S. intelligence.
And I can't say clearly but possibly the U.S. nonfunctioning embassy there or other embassies. She would have been smuggled. I can't assert this but
this is the normal modus operandi. So I can speak to that, which is that you would be smuggled literally in the back of a car, in the, in the, in
the boot, of a car.
And then taken across checkpoints where you have some, you know, some someone friendly and then taken to the coast. And she entered the
Netherlands through Curacao because those are high, choppy seas. But it is the closest foreign country other than Colombia.
So what you do is you get to the coast and await a boat that takes you across those choppy seas. Of course, that boat is now protected by that
enormous flotilla of United States force to get into Curacao. Once in Curacao, you're in the Netherlands.
Then the Netherlands flies you to the Netherlands mainland in Europe and then from there into Oslo. I would -- if I would -- I know it's really
under wraps how she got out and how she would get back in. But that would be from all indications, that would be the route that she took
GIOKOS: I mean, you mentioned how she would get back in.
And the question is, should she go back?
Clearly she's under the spotlight. Maduro is definitely watching very closely in terms of her movements. She's been able to hide effectively for
around 15 months.
What's your sense?
NEUMANN: Well, I mean, if she comes back and if she comes back -- and which everyone expects her to do -- if she comes back and resumes, you
know, her videoing from the blank white wall behind her that nobody knows who it is. You know where she is.
It would be a huge, huge coup and a big, debilitating, a big blow to the power of Maduro to repress his own people.
Because don't forget that what has happened is that everybody who has worked in exile -- and I've got myself three, I think three, three arrests,
three arrest warrants from Maduro -- that, that he -- it suits him for people to be overseas, to be overseas.
Because while you can do the international route of international media press conferences and meet with heads of state, which I fully expect her to
do.
The ability to then go back in and continue to lead your people would continue to put Maria Corina Machado in a unique situation that no other
Venezuelan opposition leader has been able to do.
GIOKOS: Just very quickly, Vanessa, how long do you think Maduro will be able to hang on?
There's, I guess, speculation and anticipation of perhaps a land strike by the United States into Venezuela.
NEUMANN: Well, I mean, I think it's very telling that, although he, you know, he kind of gripes and moans and then, before the griping and the
moaning about the seizure of the oil tanker, was dancing around to, you know, don't worry, be happy, which is just, you know, is even more
ridiculous.
[10:15:00]
But I think that, you know, we had also the other thing that hasn't very much been covered in the media, the incursion into Venezuelan airspace to -
- of two American warplanes yesterday. And they went in and they flew around and nothing happened.
Because what's Maduro going to do, shoot them down?
GIOKOS: Yes.
NEUMANN: You know, it's increasingly showing the fact that, while he can complain, there is really no effective response to the American actions. So
I think that we're going to see an escalation of those actions in the coming days. And land strikes that take out command and control and, would,
would be, would be next.
GIOKOS: All right. Vanessa Neumann, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for your insights. Much appreciated.
All right. Coming up on the show, Ukraine appears to be shifting its tactics in fighting back against Russia. A look at its most recent brazen
attacks.
And as devastating rainwater washes over wartorn Gaza, we'll take a look at how the flooding is impacting displaced Palestinians, right after this
short break. Stick with CNN.
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GIOKOS: We're learning of another Ukrainian attack on Russian energy assets. An official in Ukraine's security service says it used drones to
hit an oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first time. The attack happened a few days ago.
Kyiv has been ramping up these types of operations for months now. Meantime, the Ukrainians are meeting with their European allies today after
they presented the Trump administration with a counter-proposal to the U.S. peace plan. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "It's been going on for an hour," says the voice in Turkish.
"They hit the refinery, they hit the boat."
The video shot from a nearby ship as air defense fire rains down on Russia's biggest Black Sea oil port shows the first of three attacks on
Novorossiysk in November alone. Clear evidence Ukraine's gloves are off in its energy war with Russia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think the Ukrainians have any intentions right now of pulling back from these attacks, because they are essentially
becoming the enforcer of sanctions.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Data shows Ukraine has dramatically escalated attacks in recent months. A new concerted effort that gathered speed in
August and continued to accelerate, fueled in part by a shift from the White House as direct talks with Russia fell flat.
TRUMP: He's let me down. He's really let me down.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And Ukraine's strategy is not just about hitting targets at ever greater distances but, crucially, now hitting the same
targets multiple times, reducing the time Russia has to repair, increasing disruption. This one of five hits on the massive oil refinery since August.
[10:20:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If somehow Ukraine would manage to hit these refineries faster than Russians managed to fix them, this indeed could render the
refineries inoperable.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And now Ukraine is expanding the types of targets. This, the fifth attack on the Druzhba pipeline since August, ferrying oil
to Hungary and Slovakia.
For the first time this week, a source in Ukraine's security services says they hit an offshore drilling platform in the Caspian Sea. And Ukraine is
increasingly targeting the ships that carry the oil. This was the third attack on a sanctioned oil tanker in the last two weeks, using sea drones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot condone these attacks.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): All of this raising the geopolitical stakes of this strategy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think with this, Ukraine doesn't earn any sympathies and might incur some costs.
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): Russia is definitely incurring some costs. Clips spread online of cars lining up for gasoline. Ukraine's attacks triggering
shortages in some regions and Russia forced to ban gasoline exports until the end of the year.
And with new U.S. sanctions and lower oil prices also upping the pressure, Russia's oil and gas revenues, the biggest source of state income, fell 34
percent in November.
SEBASTIAN: How much would Ukraine have to step up its attacks to really bring Russia to the table?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The combination of infrastructure attacks focus on export targets and the staying power of blocking sanctions. I think that
could potentially drive Russia back to the table. But it has to be a longer duration event.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If push comes to shove, Russia could probably survive with a half of its oil and gas exports
SEBASTIAN (voice-over): And yet, with attacks now almost a daily occurrence, Russia's limits are being tested -- Clare Sebastian, CNN,
London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: U.S. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem is testifying before a U.S. House committee this hour about national security threats to the
United States. Let's listen in.
REP. ANDREW GARBARINO (R-NY), CHAIR, HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY: Thank all the witnesses for being here today. I now recognize secretary
Noem for five minutes to summarize her opening statement.
Thank you.
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Thank you, Mr. Chairman and thank you, ranking member, for holding this hearing today and inviting me
to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to discussing the worldwide threats that this country faces and the work that president Trump and his
administration does each and every day to make America safe again. I'm very privileged and honored today to have my family with me. I'd like to
introduce them to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And deportations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disruptions of Congressional business is a violation of law, is a criminal offense under federal law. Audience members are advised
to take their seats and maintain order. The chairman may now ask Capitol Police to remove and arrest the persons creating the disturbance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go get ICE off our streets. Stop terrorizing your community. Get ICE off our streets. Stop terrorizing our community. Get ICE
off our streets. Stop terrorizing your community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary, you may continue.
NOEM: Chairman, I'll come. I'll continue today with me. I have my husband, Brian, who's with me and also two of my children, my oldest daughter,
Cassidy and her husband Kyle are sitting here in the front row and then my middle child, Kennedy and her husband Tanner and that was my grandbaby,
Noah, that was crying a little bit during the ranking member's comments. I don't think she agreed with him. I don't have my son with me or three of my
grandchildren but I'm very blessed that I have a wonderful family who is here and loves this country and is grateful to the work that we get to do
as a family each and every day.
We also have the blessing of having some angel families with us as well. They are here in the audience and I'm so grateful for them for being
willing to come here and be strong. It's hard to lose someone that you dearly love to illegal criminal activity to people who never should have
been in our country to begin with and to lose those loved ones to drug overdoses that get perpetuated by the terrorist organizations that filter
them into our country that President Trump worked so hard to stop. So I'm grateful that they're here and that they are telling their story.
Under President Biden, he closed the office in the Department of Homeland Security that serviced these families. He closed it because he didn't want
them to speak. He didn't want them to have support or services. And President Trump reopened the Voices Office so that they can get services,
so they can hear about the cases of the individuals who killed their family members and they can get the kind of help that they need to get through the
tragic grief that they've experienced. So I want to thank them for being here and continue to pray for them.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to be in front of you today to discuss the wide range of threats that the Department of Homeland Security
is working on to protect us from here at home and also around the world. Just two weeks ago, the day before Thanksgiving, a terrorist shot two of
our National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., killing Sarah Beckstrom dead and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is still fighting for his life.
[10:25:00]
Fortunately, we've had some really good news about Andrew recently and he had the opportunity to stand up and is a miracle and we're so grateful for
his family, for being so strong. We continue to lift him up and pray. He has a full recovery.
The terrorist who shot them was an Afghan national who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome. The same week, we arrested another
Afghan national who came in under the same program. He was planning to carry out a bombing in Fort Worth, Texas. And just last week, just miles
away in Washington, D.C., we arrested another Afghan National who also came in under Operation Allies Welcome. That individual provided support to the
Islamic State of Iraq and ISIS-K and weapons to his father who was a commander of a militia group in Afghanistan.
Those are only a handful of the challenges that we face and the threats that the Department of Homeland Security stands against every single day.
Under President Trump's leadership, DHS is securing our borders. We're restoring the rule of law and we're protecting the homeland. DHS is
eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs from continuing to be funneled into our communities. We're ending illegal
immigration, returning sanity back to our immigration system and we're defending against cyber attacks against our critical infrastructure.
We have sent a strong message to criminal illegal aliens that we will find you, we will arrest you and we will deport you. Our message has resonated
to over 1.5 million illegal aliens who have gone home on their own voluntarily.
At the same time, we as a country are still dealing with the mistakes, the errors and the willful disregard of the last administration. For four
years, the Biden administration allowed millions of people to come into our country illegally. Millions more in our country were exploited and were
brought in under parole programs without even basic vetting. As a result, we've seen terrorist attacks and heist crimes committed against American
children and families by criminal illegal aliens and violent perpetuators who should have never been allowed into this country in the first place.
Transnational organized crime groups, including Mexico's Sinaloa, New Generation Jalisco and other drug cartels, they cause chaos and they harm
American interests.
Our critical infrastructure faces a perilous landscape largely driven by the impact of cyber attacks, from bad actors and cyber criminals. American
citizens are increasingly under a threat from assassination attempts, intimidation tactics and violence perpetuated by our adversaries, radical
Islamic extremists and domestic extremists. These bad actors seek to undermine our public trust. They instill fear in Americans. They
destabilize the institutions that safeguard our national security.
The United States is preparing to host several major public events in 2026, most notably the FIFA World Cup and the celebration of the 250th
anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. These large-scale events will be potential targets for a range of bad actors and they come with an
increased level of risk. DHS is using every tool and authority we have to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens and our visitors can enjoy next year's
events.
Radicalized domestic violent extremists and lone actors are a concern and intentional targeting and murderous attacks on ICE agents in Texas,
parishioners in Michigan and two National Guardsmen here in Washington, D.C., are just some of the acts of the despicable examples that
unfortunately are becoming too common. These threats underscore a clear need for security strategies that counter both large-scale and
individualized attacks. We will remain alert in our mission to protect this country. We will protect our citizens.
And as we enter into a historic year, America will be on the world stage. Our economy faces challenges from anti-competitive and illicit foreign
economic practices that hurt the prosperity of all Americans. Those include economic espionage, intellectual property theft and customs fraud. Illicit
front companies often abuse the visa system to acquire sensitive U.S. equipment, information and technology. Economic security is national
security. Because a country that cannot feed itself, can't fuel itself and cannot provide for itself cannot possibly defend itself.
Under President Trump's leadership, we will continue to protect American interests and bolster American economic power and technological innovation
to further growth and prosperity. The American people depend on the Department of Homeland Security to remain vigilant, agile and responsive.
We will never yield, we will never waver and we will never back down.
Thank you for the privilege to be with you today, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to your continued support of the work that we do.
I yield back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Secretary Noem.
And I recognize Director Kent for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.
JOSEPH KENT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, ranking members and all the members of the House.
[10:30:02]
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and discuss the threats posed to our nation.
Despite the progress that we've made so far in the Trump administration, the threat posed by terrorists of all brands remains very high right now.
We've made significant progress under president Trump's leadership.
We have the jihadis of ISIS and Al Qaeda on the run in Iraq and Syria, thanks to the decisive action and the strikes that we've taken there
recently, since president Trump took office in January.
However, we have a persistent threat from the individuals that were allowed into this country by the previous administration. The number one threat
that we have right now, in my view, is the fact that we don't know who came into our country in the last four years of Biden's open borders.
What we have identified is alarming and I want to share that with you today. We just recently put out a warning of the heightened risk of
terrorist attacks posed to the homeland by terrorists, pretty much of all stripes, but in particular from ISIS and from Al Qaeda.
NCTC has been crunching the numbers and going through the sheer volume of known and suspected terrorists that are in the country that came in under
the Biden administration.
So far, NCTC has identified around 18,000 known and suspected terrorists that the Biden administration let come into our country. These are
individuals who, under normal circumstances, would never be allowed to enter our country because of their ties to jihadi groups like ISIS and Al
Qaeda.
Yet the Biden administration not only let them into the country and, in many cases, facilitated their entry into the country, just like the entry
of the Afghan terrorists who committed the terrorist attack here just before Thanksgiving, killing one of our National Guard members and wounding
another.
That Afghan was brought into the country as a group of over 100,000 Afghans who were brought here during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
These individuals, despite what has been reported, were not vetted properly to come into the United States.
The individual terrorist who committed the attack in D.C., he was vetted to serve as a soldier in Afghanistan. The Biden administration essentially
used his tactical level vetting as a ruse to bring him here and to bring him into our communities. And we've seen the tragic results of that.
Now that Afghan, that attacker, that terrorist is just one of 88,000. We've identified 2,000 of that group of 88,000 who have ties to terrorist
organizations. We're working right now hand-in-hand with DHS and with the FBI to run down this 2,000. The Afghans who came here under Allies Welcome,
who have ties to terrorist organizations. And additionally, the other 16,000 individuals with ties to terrorist organizations that Biden let into
our country, that is probably the top terrorist threat that we face right now.
And that doesn't include the individuals who came here illegally through the open border. That number, alarmingly, remains unknown at this time.
We're trying to figure out who those individuals are as well.
Also, adding to this elevated threat, we have ISIS and Al Qaeda that have found sanctuary in places like Afghanistan and Syria due to the
transnational nature of those governments and also again in Iraq and some of the hinterlands of Iraq.
And these terrorists are able to communicate and spread their propaganda and a lot of their knowhow, thanks to the proliferation of encrypted apps
and also due to just the internet writ large.
The new terrorist tactic that we're seeing more and more is moving away from very deliberate cellular attacks that we can infiltrate easily while
they communicate into an inspirational methodology, where you have key members putting out media and putting out how-to guides to reach out and
touch individuals inside the United States.
We recently disrupted one of those attacks just before Halloween, thanks to the work of the FBI, with support from, really, the entire U.S.
intelligence community and the Joint Terrorism Task Force model in Michigan.
That plot touched multiple states and had ties to ISIS inside Iraq and Syria. Another issue that we are addressing right now, thanks to the
decisive leadership of president Trump, is the scourge of fentanyl, gang and cartel violence.
Under president Trump's leadership, we've designated these cartels and gangs as terrorist organizations and we've done that rightfully so.
These individuals, these terrorists, have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, as these angel families will tell you first-hand. What president
Trump has done by designating them as terrorists has allowed us to turn the tools of the intelligence community against them.
And predominantly watch list them as terrorists to prevent them from ever coming into America in the first place. To date, we've added about 35,000
of these narco terrorists to our terrorist watch list.
And we've stopped just around 6,000 of these terrorists from ever entering our country, from setting foot inside of America so they can no longer kill
Americans with impunity. These are just some of the issues that we're covering 24/7/365 at the National Counterterrorism Center.
And I look forward to discussing more with you all today. Thank you.
[10:35:02]
GARBARINO: Thank you, director Kent.
And now recognize director Glasheen for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.
MICHAEL GLASHEEN, BRANCH AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, FBI: Good morning, chairman Garbarino, ranking member Thompson and members of the committee.
I'm operations director Michael Glasheen. I oversee the FBI's national security divisions. I am honored to be here with you, representing the
people of the United States, the FBI, who tackled the complex and grave threats we face with perseverance, professionalism and integrity.
Our nation faces serious and evolving threats ranging from international terrorists to hostile foreign intelligence operatives, from sophisticated
cyber attacks to internet-facilitated sexual exploitation of children, from violent gangs and criminal organizations, to public corruption and
corporate fraud.
Keeping pace with these threats is a significant challenge. Our adversaries take advantage of the internet, social media and emerging technologies like
artificial intelligence to influence the American people, facilitate illegal activities and recruit followers.
Even as 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, terrorism remains a persistent but evolving threat. Over the past several years, the
FBI has identified a particularly concerning uptick in radicalization of young people.
Radicalization of domestic terrorists most often occurs online. Social media and encryption have increased the speed and accessibility of the
violent extremist content. International terrorists continue to pose one of the greatest, most immediate threats to the homeland.
Some international terrorists and people located and radicalized to violence, primarily inside the United States, who are not receiving
individualized direction from foreign terrorist organizations or FTOs but are inspired to commit violence by FTOs such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Iran continues to plot attacks against former government officials in retaliation for the January 2020th (sic) death of Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps or IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani.
Iran also continues to provide support to its proxies and terrorist organizations throughout the world, such as Lebanese Hezbollah. China,
Russia, Iran, North Korea and criminal ransomware continue to be the top cyber threats facing the United States.
And there is no clear line where cyber criminal activity ends and nation state activity begins. Critical infrastructure remains a highly attractive
target for cyber criminals and nation state actors, due to the potential to cause widespread disruption, financial damage and risk to our national
security.
The United States faces foreign intelligence threats as nations such as the People's Republic of China, Russia and Iran become more aggressive and
capable than ever.
The PRC has deliberately created an environment that abuses global interconnectedness and encourages intellectual property acquisition using
human intelligence officers, corrupt corporate insiders, foreign direct investment and cyber intrusions.
Russia continues to seek and acquire U.S. technologies to help rebuild its defense industrial base, relying on complex procurement networks to evade
U.S. export controls and sanctions.
The United States faces many criminal threats, including violent crime, financial and health care fraud, transnational and regional organized
criminal enterprises, crimes against children and human trafficking, violent threats against public election officials, personnel and public
corruption.
Currently, the FBI-led task forces are staffed with over 9,000 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners. Many of these task forces
are focused on cartels, violent crime, drug trafficking, child exploitation and human trafficking.
Across our nation's communities, the FBI has and continues to establish strong capabilities to assess the threats, share intelligence and leverage
key technologies. We recruit the best to serve as special agents, intelligence analysts and professional staff.
Our leadership team views change and transformation as a positive tool for keeping the FBI focused on the gravest threats facing our nation. Over the
past few months, we started the process to relocate hundreds of positions from the national capital region out to field offices across the country.
This enhancement to field resources increases our investigative capacity across our 56 field offices and enhances the FBI's commitment to addressing
violent crime gangs, drugs, counterintelligence and terrorism threats.
[10:40:00]
Our fellow citizens look to us to protect --
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GIOKOS: All right. We're breaking into this to bring you some breaking news that has just come in to CNN. A federal judge in Maryland ordering the
release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody immediately. That is the order that is being given.
We've got Priscilla Alvarez joining us from Washington to break down the story.
What more have we learned, Priscilla?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, to remind viewers, this is the Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in
March.
Despite what we call withholding of removal, meaning that he had protections here in the United States, from being sent back to his origin
country because of concerns for his safety. But the administration did send him there to that notorious mega prison and noted in filings that that was
by accident.
So that is where all of this began and it has been the source of ongoing proceedings over the last several months. As you'll recall, the
administration returned him to the United States for him to face criminal charges. He was detained for a period of time before then being released
and then brought back into ICE detention.
He's currently being held at a facility in Pennsylvania but now the federal judge who has been overseeing this case has said that he must be released
immediately and has laid out that the government has to notify his counsel of the next steps in doing so by the end of today.
Now this has been the source of these proceedings in that the judge has been asking the government where they plan to deport him, because, even
though he can't be deported to his origin country, he is still eligible for removal to another country.
The government has repeatedly tried to send him to African countries, which have denied or have rejected taking him. And Costa Rica, on the other hand,
has said that they would be willing to receive him and provide him protections in that country. But the government was not willing to do it.
And that really puzzled the federal judge in this case. Over the course of these hearings, as he tried to understand why the administration was
holding out on deporting him to a country that was willing to take him and instead insisting that he be sent to a country in Africa.
And in the absence of that information and the absence of a justification, it was clear in previous hearings that otherwise he would be released into
the United States while that was sorted by the government, specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
And that's exactly what brought us to today, to this order that was released only moments ago, where the federal judge said that he does need
to be released immediately.
Now we are reading through the opinion where she lays out how she came to that decision. She notes here, for example, quote, "The history of Abrego
Garcia's case is as well known as it is extraordinary."
Of course, she has been at the center of this case almost since the very beginning, when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Again, we are
reading through this.
But it has been clear in the hearings that she struggled to understand from the federal government why they weren't deporting him to a country that he
was willing to be deported to, that had said they were going to give him protections there and instead pushing for these other countries in Africa
to take him.
So we'll read through this and get back to you. But this is a remarkable development in the case of Abrego Garcia, which has become a case that has
embodied the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and he himself has become the face of it as this -- as these proceedings have been ongoing
now for months.
GIOKOS: Yes. Priscilla, very quickly, I mean, can the -- I mean, can we -- will we see an appeal?
Is that even on the table, do you think?
ALVAREZ: Well, I've reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on this. They have not yet returned it. The government, we
anticipate, will make a filing in this case. But again, that all remains to be seen. For now, the judge is asking for these steps to be taken very
quickly.
GIOKOS: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for bringing us that breaking news. A lot of paperwork for you to go through. We'll get
back to the story.
In the meantime, I want to take you back to U.S.. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem testifying before Congress. Let's listen in.
NOEM: -- on the invasion over the southern border. They were not vetted. They were allowed to pour in. Our parole programs, our asylum programs, our
visa programs were all exploited and the integrity was demolished under Joe Biden and the leadership at the Department of Homeland Security.
And, frankly, the entire department was neglected. In fact, I believe the secretary was told at times not to do certain things by the Biden
administration to facilitate this invasion.
So what keeps me up at night is the individuals that are in this country that wish to do us harm and that is why we are so aggressive at making sure
that we're going out and doing investigative work, finding those violent criminals, finding those people who shouldn't be in this country to begin
with.
And those that want to go after and to harm our American citizens.
GARBARINO: Thank you, secretary.
Director Glasheen, as you heard and as you said, during the next few years, the United States will host more major events than ever before.
[10:45:00]
This brings obvious security concerns, including counter drones, which we just passed some new authorities in the NDAA yesterday.
How is the FBI preparing for counter drone threats during mass gathering events?
GLASHEEN: Chairman, thank you for that question. You know, counter UAS, the passage of the legislation yesterday is a game changer for us.
How we're preparing for that going forward, we just stood up a counter UAS school down in Huntsville, Alabama, where we will train federal officials,
state locals, as well to assist with that preparation and implementation of using counter UAS technology.
Prior to this passage, it was only the FBI and DHS that could provide that assistance. Now that this passage of authority, it will allow us to have a
greater handling of the threat to a mass event.
GARBARINO: Thank you very much. I yield back.
I now recognize the ranking member for five minutes of questions.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS), RANKING MEMBER, U.S. HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Glasheen, will you tell me the organizations that pose on the domestic side two of the organizations, number one?
Number two, threat to the homeland at this point?
GLASHEEN: Can you please clarify the organizations?
THOMPSON: Any domestic terrorist organization that poses a threat to the homeland as we speak.
GLASHEEN: I'd say the first one, you know, president Trump had just announced, executive order, domestic terrorist organization, Antifa. That's
our primary concern right now.
THOMPSON: All right. That's what president Trump did.
What does the FBI say?
GLASHEEN: We share the same view. When you look at the data right now, you look at the domestic terrorist threat that we're facing right now, what I
see from my position is that's the most immediate threat that we're facing on the domestic side.
THOMPSON: So where is Antifa headquartered?
GLASHEEN: What we're doing right now with the --
(CROSSTALK)
THOMPSON: What kind of -- where in the United States does Antifa exist, if it's a terrorist organization -- and you've identified it as number one.
GLASHEEN: We are building out the infrastructure right now.
THOMPSON: So what does that mean?
I'm just -- we're trying to get the information. You say Antifa is a terrorist organization. Tell us, as a committee, how did you come to that?
Where do they exist?
How many members do they have in the United States as of right now?
GLASHEEN: Well, that's very fluid. It's ongoing for us to understand that the same no different than Al Qaeda and ISIS.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMPSON: No, no, I don't want you -- I'll ask one question, sir. I just want you to tell us, if you said Antifa is the number one domestic
terrorist organization operating in the United States, I just need to know where they are.
How many people?
I don't want a name. I don't want anything like that.
Just how many people have you identified with the FBI that Antifa is made of?
GLASHEEN: Well, the investigations are active...
THOMPSON: Sir, you wouldn't come to this committee and say something you can't prove. I know. I know, you wouldn't do that. But you did.
Madam Secretary, you and the gentleman from CTC -- NCTC referenced the unfortunate accident that occurred with National Guardsman being killed.
NOEM: Do you think that was an unfortunate accident?
THOMPSON: I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
NOEM: It was a terrorist --
THOMPSON: Wait, wait. Look, I'll get it straight then you can --
NOEM: He shot our National Guardsmen in the head.
THOMPSON: Look --
Mr. Chairman, will you direct the witness to allow me to ask my question?
It was an unfortunate situation but you blamed it solely on Joe Biden. I want you to know who approved the asylum application for this same person.
NOEM: Mr. Thompson, this individual that came into the country --
THOMPSON: No, I want to know who approved.
NOEM: Congressman Thompson, I want you to understand --
THOMPSON: No, no, no.
NOEM: -- when this individual came into the country --
THOMPSON: I'm not going to -- I'm not going to let you --
NOEM: -- evacuation of Afghanistan under Operation Allies Welcome was thoroughly vetted by the Biden administration at that point in time,
allowed into our country and then was never followed up. I want to remind - -
THOMPSON: I claim my time. I claim my time.
NOEM: We followed the law. And every asylum is supposed to have a checkin every single year and the Biden administration failed to do that. We --
they vetted this individual, allowed them into our country and did not --
[10:50:04]
GARBARINO: Witness will allow the gentleman to ask his question.
THOMPSON: Yes or no? Who will -- who approved the asylum claim?
NOEM: The application on the asylum was thoroughly filled out by information that was gathered by the Biden administration.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMPSON: So the Biden administration approved the asylum --
NOEM: The asylum application was put into place under the rules established by the Biden administration.
THOMPSON: Reclaiming my time. I don't want to charge -- file perjury charges against you. But I'm of the opinion that the Trump administration,
DHS, your DHS, approved the asylum application.
NOEM: The asylum application moved forward under all of the information and vetting processes that were put in place under the Biden
administration, which is when vetting happened. And that's what president Trump has changed --
THOMPSON: No, no, no.
NOEM: -- under president Trump's administration.
THOMPSON: Reclaim my time again.
NOEM: When --
THOMPSON: It's obvious you don't want to answer the question.
Mr. Kent, do you want a shot at it?
KENT: The individual was vetted to serve as a soldier in Afghanistan. And that vetting standard was used by the Biden administration as a ruse to
bring him here.
Had we followed the standard operating procedures for special immigrant visas --
THOMPSON: I claim my time.
KENT: -- that individual and none of the allies welcome people would have come to America. That's on Joe Biden.
(CROSSTALK)
GARBARINO: The gentleman's time has expired.
That was the answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Point of order, Mr. Chairman, that was a murder that took place in D.C. It was not an unfortunate incident. And those comments
are effing disrespectful.
THOMPSON: Who is that?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- better from the --
GARBARINO: It's not a valid -- it's not a valid point of order.
I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, the former chairman, Mr. McCaul, for five minutes.
REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX): Mr. Chairman, Madam Secretary, great to see you. This hearing reminds me of the novel "A Tale of Two Cities."
They see it, the Dems see it as the worst of times. But I see it really as the best of times.
And what do I mean by that?
Under the Biden administration, 15 to 20 million illegal aliens, unvetted, as you indicated, came into this country. What I think most disturbing is
director Kent's testimony, 18,000 known or suspected terrorists got into this country under the Biden administration.
That's why we impeached Mayorkas. I was one of the managers. He told his Border Patrol, you don't have to pay attention to federal law when it says,
"shall detain aggravated felons," he disregarded federal law and says, you know what, "may detain."
It's discretionary.
And guess what?
We have thousands of aggravated felons now, if not millions, in this country today. That was the worst of times.
Let me go to the best of times, most secure border I've seen in my 22 years in Congress. And I've dealt with this for a long time. Coming from Texas,
being chairman of this committee, the daily crossings are 95 percent down from the prior administration. That's the best of times.
Zero catch and release. My very first bill in Congress 22 years ago was to end catch and release; 22 years later, we finally have achieved that goal.
That, Madam Secretary, is the best of times, an all-time record low. America is safer today.
I feel so. And when I look at the Venezuelan vessels attacked, president had every right under the Constitution Article II, international waters,
cartels designated as FTOs coming into our country to spread poison to kill Americans.
If that's not self-defense, I don't know what it is. And then finally, Madam Secretary, thank you for taking out the shadow Iranian oil tankers
headed from Venezuela to Cuba, getting around our sanctions that Congress passed.
I'm finally seeing an administration flexing its muscle in this hemisphere, which has been neglected for so many years. So air, land and sea is your
charge. It's a military charge as well. I see the land secure. I see the maritime borders getting more secure. And I applaud you for that.
On the air, secure peace. I chair the Special Events Task Force. That's for the Olympics, the 250th anniversary. Drones are the biggest threat as I see
it. I see it in Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. And I see it across our border.
And I see it at these events.
If you could update me and with the new FDA authorization to allow federal, state and locals to work together, to identify hostile adversary drones and
take them down, can you tell me how that will impact your ability, Madam Secretary, to better secure these special events?
NOEM: Yes. Thank you, congressman McCaul.
[10:55:00]
And thank you for your leadership. I understand you're retiring and I'm sad about that. You've been a statesman. Thank you for serving with such
dignity. Thank you. The counter drone and drone technology that is out there today, frankly, our authorities haven't kept up with. And so thank
you for that legislation.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to truly defend the homeland here at the Department of Homeland Security. We are going to be investing
upwards to $1.5 billion into drone technology and counter drone technology and mitigation measures that we can deploy.
Not just across different NSC events or large scale events that we're responsible for the security on but also that we can use to partner with
cities and states for celebrations and different things that they may hold as well.
So we have the responsibility at the Department of Homeland Security for FIFA and the 11 cities that will be hosting the matches here in the United
States. Also, the Olympics, the America 250 celebrations.
Also other, national security events that happen, such as Mardi Gras and other events that are going on throughout the country.
So this program that we will have will not only work within the events that the department is responsible for but we will be able to sign agreements
with states and cities to provide measures that they don't currently have.
And we're working with the FAA as well to get what we need to be able to operate. And we don't want just to detect, we don't want to just monitor,
we need to mitigate. We need to take these drones down.
We need to.
(CROSSTALK)
MCCAUL: My time is expired. There is so much technology out there today. Counter drone technology that I've been working to get into Ukraine to
protect them from Russian drones, that we can deploy at these events. I would love to visit with you on that at a later date and thank you for your
service.
NOEM: Thank you.
GARBARINO: Gentleman's time has expired.
I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Correa, for five minutes of questions.
REP. LOU CORREA (D-CA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I agree with my colleague from Texas. It is a tale of two cities.
Secretary Noem, Trump administration, you're going after the worst of the worst criminals. And we agree with you.
The problem is 70 percent of the people you've arrested have no criminal record. You're going after non-criminal immigrants, U.S. citizens and
permanent legal residents. Non-accused (ph) brown, Irish citizen, green card holder, 48 years in the United States. She also happens to be the
mother --
(CROSSTALK)
GIOKOS (voice-over): Right. You're listening in to Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem's hearing. And a lot of interesting lines coming
through.
She just said that the United States is going to be investing $1.5 billion in drone technology to hunker down on their plans in terms of eradicating
some of the national security threats.
We also heard from Joseph Kent, the director of U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. And he was talking about the number one threat in
the United States right now.
In his words, he says, we don't know who came in into the country over the last four years and says tens of thousands of risks from Al Qaeda and ISIS
have infiltrated the country. I want to take us back into the hearing. Let's listen.
CORREA: If I can, I'D like to play a video for you.
Then he also voted for president Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
CORREA: Why did you vote for him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I was an idiot. (INAUDIBLE) percent of the evangelical Christian people were lied to if you really want to know the
truth. And that's exactly what happened. They said criminal, you know. And I believe criminals need to be off the street.
CORREA: I just want to make sure people watching this understand who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife and I, when we don't work, we're ministers. We help the needy. That's what we do. We -- and that's who they're arresting.
It's --
CORREA: Now we've got Mr. Jim Brown before you. He's standing up. Hopefully we can talk to him a little bit.
These people Don accused brown (ph) are not the individuals that should be deported.
Another case, Narciso Barranco was beaten and arrested by masked agents while working as a landscaper. He's an undocumented immigrant, 30 years in
this country, not a traffic ticket. Mr. Barranco is also the father of three U.S. Marines.
Three Marines, you want to make a movie of people like this?
A man who comes to this country, instills patriotism in his kids, they swear an oath to serve and possibly give up their life for this country. We
play a video on this as well, please.
END
