WATCH: Sen. Peters asks Noem about combating domestic terrorism | Trump confirmation hearings

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked homeland security secretary nominee Kristi Noem about fighting and preventing domestic terrorism, in a confirmation hearing Friday held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Noem initially responded to the committee’s ranking member by discussing securing the southern border, then pivoted to U.S.-based extremism.

“We see more and more incidents of people that are U.S. citizens that have become radicalized,” Noem said. “Knowing when people are leaving the country and coming back and changes to their behaviors and what their actions are is critically important.”

Noem did not address far-right extremism. According to the National Institute of Justice, "the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism."

Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is a rancher and a former member of Congress. A close ally to Trump, Noem has called migration across the U.S. southern border “an invasion.” If confirmed, Noem would play a key role in carrying out his promised immigration crackdown by leading the Department of Homeland Security, one of the largest federal agencies.

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