Politics
JUST IN: Kristi Noem Participates In ICE Raids
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wasted no time in getting down to business, joining officials with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement to conduct raids in search of illegal immigrants during her first day on the job.
An enforcement operation in New York City served as Noem’s introduction to how ICE officials apprehend illegal immigrants charged with acts of violence. In a social media post containing video from the raid, Noem announced that she witnessed officers take an illegal alien wanted for kidnapping, assault, and burglary into custody.
“Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets,” she said.
Video of the overnight raid shows unmarked SUVs with blue and red lights blaring, while in the background, a handcuffed suspect is walked from an apartment building to one of the vehicles by officers.
Noem was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 59-34 vote that saw seven Democrats break rank and vote to confirm the former South Dakota governor to head up DHS. Noem’s agency echoed her message in a post of its own announcing the New York enforcement action.
“We will not rest till American communities are safe. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals,” read the post.
A DHS spokesperson told Fox News that the dawn raid targeted “murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary.” Other federal agencies participating in the raid included the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency.
Among those arrested was a Dominican national wanted on an Interpol Red Notice for a double homicide in his home country. He fled to the United States before facing charges.
Operations in New York are expected to continue through Friday, underscoring the commitment by Noem and White House border Czar Tom Homan to rooting out illegal immigrant criminals in sanctuary cities. Aiding their effort is U.S. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY), who on Monday sent letters to the mayors of four prominent sanctuary cities inviting them to testify and explain their antipathy towards federal immigration enforcement.
During her confirmation hearings, Noem was vocal about her commitment to President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations. After a Democratic senator challenged her to support legislation that would reunite migrant children separated from their parents, Noem fired back that it was the Biden-Harris administration that lost track of over 300,000 migrant children housed temporarily in the U.S.
“Senator, the Trump administration never had a family separation policy. They had a zero-tolerance policy, which said that our laws would be followed,” Noem told Chris Blumenthal (D-CT). “What I’m alarmed by are the over 300,000 children that went missing during the Biden administration.”
On Friday, ICE reported that it had exceeded 500 apprehensions and more than 300 deportations in a single day. By Monday, the number of daily arrests had exceeded 1,100 as other federal agents at departments like the FBI, DEA, and ATF have become deputized to participate in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants.
President Trump is also aware of how many Americans are on his side. Recent polling shows that a healthy majority of respondents support the types of mass deportations that Trump has proposed.