The Biden tenure was riddled with scandals. The Trump admin is uncovering it all.
That’s why jaws hit the floor when Joe Biden was accused of outright treason by a Trump ally on Fox News.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Estimates Hundreds of Thousands of Criminal Migrants in U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stated Wednesday that the Biden-Harris administration has allowed hundreds of thousands of criminal migrants into the United States. Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity, Noem outlined concerns about the extent of illegal immigration and the potential security threats posed by those who have entered the country unlawfully.
According to Noem, these numbers include thousands of individuals linked to gangs, some of whom had previously been detained under the Trump administration. She emphasized that this situation poses a serious risk to national security and public safety, requiring urgent action to address it.
During the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. southern border experienced a surge in illegal crossings, reaching record-high encounter numbers. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data estimates approximately 8.5 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past four fiscal years. However, these figures do not account for those who may have entered undetected. While the exact number of criminals among this group remains uncertain, Noem provided her assessment of the scope of the issue.
The Trump administration has consistently advocated for mass deportation as a solution to illegal immigration. Noem echoed this position, stressing the urgency of removing individuals with criminal records. “We have hundreds of thousands of criminals that were let illegally into this country. That means they have criminal records. They’ve perpetuated crimes in this country. They’re members of gangs and cartels that have committed crimes around the world,” Noem stated. “This is not a small operation.”
She further asserted that a determined and sustained effort would be necessary to remove these individuals and restore security. “This is an operation that we’re going to have to work aggressively at for a period of time to make sure that we’re getting all those dangerous individuals out of our country and then go on to those who have overstayed and have final removal orders. We’re going to go forward and make sure that our federal laws are upheld and that every single law is followed in this country,” Noem added. “The Biden administration didn’t do that. They didn’t ensure that the American people were their number one priority. That’s why we’re in the situation that we’re in today.”
Throughout the 2024 presidential election, immigration remained one of the top concerns for voters. Several high-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants intensified public scrutiny of the issue. The m*rders of 22-year-old Laken Riley, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, and 37-year-old Rachel Morin drew widespread outrage, reinforcing concerns about border security and the vetting of individuals entering the country.
Noem expressed her commitment to ensuring national security, stating that she could not fully guarantee Americans’ safety until all dangerous individuals were removed from the country. When asked by Hannity for an estimate on the total number of migrants who had entered the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration, Noem referenced broader immigration statistics.
“Well, you’ve heard the president talk about the fact that there are 20 million people in this country here illegally,” Noem said. “But we literally do have hundreds of thousands of people that are criminal aliens. But we have many, over thousands of them, that are on the suspected or known terrorist watch list. We know that we have thousands of gang members, just TDA [Tren de Aragua] members.”
She also noted that the U.S. is currently using Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) as a detention center for some of the most dangerous individuals. “We’re using Gitmo as a detention center right now. Our camp five and six are full of TDA members, entire gang members that were getting out of this country and off of our streets. So these are individuals that are the worst of the worst from other countries that President Biden invited to come to America, and other countries sent them to us. We are now sending them back,” Noem stated.
On his first day back in office, Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order designating “the cartels and other organizations” as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), arguing that international cartels pose a national security threat beyond that of traditional organized crime. As part of this initiative, Noem and the border czar have been tasked with enforcing Trump’s pledge to address the border crisis. Meanwhile, House Republicans are moving to officially designate several major Mexican drug cartels as FTOs, reinforcing the administration’s stance on national security and immigration enforcement.
With immigration policy continuing to be a central issue in national politics, Noem’s remarks signal a firm stance by the Trump administration in tackling illegal migration and its associated security threats. The administration’s approach to border security and deportation policies will remain a point of significant debate as efforts to secure the nation’s borders intensify.
The Conservative Column will update you on any immigration news and reports from the Trump administration.
