Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem pushed back against corporate media narratives on Sunday, criticizing NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker for spreading unnecessary fear among legal immigrants regarding the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
During the interview, Welker suggested that legal immigrants were worried about being “wrongfully detained” and cited conversations with individuals who claimed they now carry their documents with them out of concern.
Noem dismissed the notion, blaming the media for stoking unnecessary fear.
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“I would say that if I’ve heard that expressed by people that are legal citizens of the United States, it’s because the media has perpetuated that fear. The media has said that that’s a possibility,” Noem responded.
She emphasized that there has been no directive from President Trump or law enforcement officials suggesting that legal residents have any reason to be concerned.
“There’s nothing from this administration, from President Trump or from any of the law enforcement individuals in these communities that has said that they need to walk around and be concerned about that at all,” she added.
Since taking office, President Trump has taken immediate action on his campaign promise to secure the southern border and deport criminal illegal aliens.
Within the first six days of his administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reported their largest single-day arrest total, with 956 arrests on January 26.
This figure significantly surpasses the Biden-Harris administration’s estimated daily average of 310 arrests in fiscal year 2024.
Noem also pushed back against claims that Americans oppose the administration’s approach, arguing that public sentiment overwhelmingly favors stricter enforcement.
“The citizens of the United States are confident that finally, after four long years of having a president in the White House that ignored federal law and endangered their communities, that there’s a different man in charge now,” Noem stated.
She added, “There’s a man in charge who loves this country, is going to help make their communities safer. These citizens that live here are thrilled.”
Noem recounted her recent visits to New York City and other cities where she said Americans were personally thanking law enforcement officers for their work in removing dangerous criminals.
7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets. pic.twitter.com/AlDD819K89
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 28, 2025
“In fact, when I was in New York City earlier this week and in several cities since then, the people walking by us on the streets were thanking our officers,” Noem said.
“They were thanking these investigators and those that were taking these dangerous criminals out for being there, for making sure that they could walk their kids to school with a new confidence that they could get there safely and that they could do business and have their community back.”
Immigration has remained one of the top issues for American voters, particularly in the months leading up to the 2024 election.
Polling data indicates that public support for deportation has grown significantly as illegal crossings reached record highs under the Biden administration.
A September 2024 Scripps News/Ipsos poll showed that 54% of Americans supported a policy of mass deportations. More recent data from an Axios/Ipsos poll found that 66% of Americans now favor “deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally.”
The breakdown of the polling data showed broad bipartisan concern over illegal immigration:
- 93% of Republicans support deportations
- 67% of Independents support deportations
- 43% of Democrats support deportations
With strong public backing for tighter border security and enforcement, the Trump administration continues its aggressive approach to deporting criminal illegal migrants and curbing illegal crossings.
As deportations ramp up, DHS and ICE are expected to continue large-scale enforcement operations, targeting high-priority offenders while maintaining that legal residents and American citizens have no reason to fear wrongful detention.
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