Congressional Democrats have called for a Justice Department investigation into whether former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made false statements during her testimony before Congress, according to a March 16 letter from Judiciary Committee members in both chambers.

The request centers on Noem's statements regarding a $220 million advertising campaign aimed at encouraging migrants to leave the country, as well as her comments about detention policies and contracts involving Corey Lewandowski. Democrats allege that Noem made "demonstrably false" statements to Congress on these matters.

The criminal referral comes weeks after President Trump dismissed Noem from her position as DHS Secretary. During her final Senate hearing, Noem faced sharp criticism from members of both parties, including from Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who called her tenure "a disaster" during what he described as a "performance evaluation."

Tillis, who announced he will not seek re-election after Trump threatened to primary him, delivered a particularly harsh assessment of Noem's leadership during a 10-minute questioning session. The senator's criticism represented some of the fiercest opposition Noem faced during the hearing, even surpassing comments from Democratic members.

The Justice Department has not yet responded to the Democratic lawmakers' request for an investigation. Such referrals are routine when members of Congress believe a witness may have provided false testimony, though they do not guarantee that criminal charges will be filed.