Ali Bradley covers developments on the southern border with a focus on human and drug smuggling, immigration enforcement efforts, and the failure to control the influx of migrants. Check out Bradley on the Border on YouTube now!
(NewsNation) — Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in an exclusive interview, told NewsNation that illegal border crossings have decreased by 95% compared to the previous administration, with recent daily encounters dropping to some of the lowest numbers in Border Patrol history.
The secretary visited Nogales, Ariz., on Saturday to assess the border situation firsthand as illegal crossings hit their lowest levels since 1967. Noem’s message was clear: People should not come to the U.S. illegally.
“Just recently, we saw less than 200 encounters in a day. That’s remarkable,” Noem said. “Now our agents can get back to doing their jobs and enforcing the law instead of processing.”
Noem attributed the decrease to stricter enforcement policies under President Donald Trump’s administration, including resumed border wall construction.
She said that cartels are becoming “more desperate” in response to increased border security.
“They recognize that we’re enforcing our federal laws, that we’re not letting people just walk across the border anymore,” Noem said. “We are building a wall, we are securing our borders, and we’re not going to let this illegal activity continue.”
According to Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 32,000 individuals since Trump took office in January.
Noem said all ICE arrests made in 2024 under the Biden administration came up to over 33,000.
Noem said the administration is specifically targeting Tren de Aragua (TDA), which she described as “an extremely dangerous gang from Venezuela” with thousands of members in the United States.
She indicated that Guantanamo Bay is being used as a detention facility for individuals deemed especially dangerous.
The administration has launched a self-deportation app called CBP Home, which Noem said is gaining “momentum,” with hundreds using it so far. She warned that individuals with final removal orders who don’t self-deport could face penalties of up to $700 per day.
Regarding unaccompanied minors, Noem said the administration has reinstated DNA testing at the border to verify family relationships and prevent child trafficking. She acknowledged that some young cartel and gang members as young as 12 or 13 years old have entered the country as unaccompanied minors.
“They may be cartel members, but TDA members and MS-13 members that we’re meeting are 12, 13 years old, but they’re conducting criminal activities here, even though they’re children,” Noem said.
