Kristi Noem says 70% of detained illegal immigrants face charges or convictions

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that 70 percent of individuals detained by federal authorities have been charged with crimes or convicted, disputing lower figures cited by news outlets.

Noem made the remarks Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation while discussing immigration enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, which DHS has described as the largest operation in its history, involving nearly 3,000 federal agents.

“I think every day we get a murderer off the streets of Minneapolis, the public is safer, and President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people. And we literally have arrested and detained thousands of illegal criminals in Minnesota since President Trump came back into the White House,” Noem said. “And I've never met a family that ever said, ‘Oh, I wish you would have left that rapist free. I wish you would have left that murderer on the street.’ So we're just so thankful that we have a president that's upholding the law and is determined to make sure that the laws are applied equally to everyone.”

Host Margaret Brennan asked Noem how DHS determines what level of deportations constitutes a successful operation. Noem responded by blaming the Biden administration, claiming it allowed “up to 20 million people unvetted into this country.”

“We have no idea how many dangerous people are here. When you have millions of people coming in that are terrorists, suspected terrorists, criminals, come from countries in the mass migration that the Biden administration facilitated, I can't tell the people of Minnesota exactly how many dangerous criminals they have,” Noem said. “I do know that they're extremely grateful every time we get a pedophile off the street. We end- arrested an individual this week that was raping children. I think those parents in Minnesota can sleep better at night knowing that that person isn't free.”

Brennan then pressed Noem on the breakdown of criminality among those in custody, asking what percentage had committed criminal offenses. Noem responded, “Every single individual has committed a crime, but 70% of them have committed or have charges against them on violent crimes, and crimes that they are charged with or have been convicted of, that have come from other countries.”

Brennan pushed back, saying the figure was not 70 percent by the DHS’ own data. Noem, however, disputed that assertion.

“It absolutely is,” Noem replied. “You guys keep changing your percentage, you pick and choose what numbers you think work, but that is the facts, is that 70% of the people that we have detained have charges against them or have been convicted of charges. And they need to be brought to justice, and we're going to keep doing that, no matter how much you guys keep lying and don't tell the public the truth.”