Administration officials have suggested suspending a legal principle that protects against unlawful detention, and struggled to accurately define it.

Kristi Noem spoke after White House aide Stephen Miller floated suspending the writ of habeas corpus for migrants.

During a budget hearing at the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Democratic New Hampshire Senator Margaret Hassan asked Noem what habeas corpus was. "Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country," Noem responded.