Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that her agency is being thanked for reversing the damage done by former President Joe Biden‘s immigration policy.
Some 88,000 immigrants have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency under Noem’s department. According to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, two-thirds of these arrests happened since President Donald Trump took office and began facilitating deportation flights. Noem defended these arrests while on Fox News’s Life, Liberty, and Levin Saturday.
“As we go into these big cities, and we’re in theses communities, such as the other day we were in the Bronx pulling out guys that had weapons charges, drug charges, assault. They were charged with rape and murder. The community knew where they were. The law enforcement knew where they were. They just didn’t go extract them and protect the individuals that are raising their families there,” Noem said. “America overwhelmingly wants these bad guys and dirtbags off our streets and out of this country. The fact that Joe Biden didn’t do that for so many years, proves he just did not put America first. He did not love this country. He was weakening us from within.”
Noem claimed it can be “overwhelming” to complete these operations in the presence of American citizens, who are thanking them for their efforts. However, she insisted her department was simply following federal law.
“We had a president in the White House when Joe Biden was there breaking federal law every single day,” Noem said.
ACTING ICE DIRECTOR FINDS NEWARK DETENTION CENTER INCIDENT ‘DISHEARTENING’
Despite the alleged popularity of Noem’s strategy among the public, DHS and ICE face increasing protests. Police arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center nearly two weeks ago. DHS also accused Reps. Rob Menendez (D-NJ), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) of storming the facility as part of a protest over Trump administration policies regarding immigration.
McIver is now facing charges of assaulting federal law enforcement. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba claimed she attempted to cut a deal with McIver to avoid charges, but the representative declined the opportunity.
