Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed Tuesday to personally take part in future law enforcement raids in search of illegal migrants after participating in a pre-dawn operation that netted authorities a violent Tren de Aragua ringleader and other “career criminals” hiding out in New York City.
“We’ve just gotten started,” Noem said of successful Big Apple raids during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“We are picking up the worst of the worst in this country,” the DHS secretary said of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Noem donned a protective ICE vest as she embedded with officers from multiple federal agencies to hit targets across all five boroughs of New York City.
“We did encounter and incarcerate a Tren de Aragua member — one of the ringleaders,” the former South Dakota governor told Hannity, referring to 25-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, who is an alleged member of the violent Venezuelan prison gang that infamously took over an Aurora, Colo., apartment complex last year.
“He had warrants out for his arrest in Colorado,” Noem said. “In fact, he was one of those that we saw on some of the video from that apartment building that they had taken over and had perpetuated so much violence there.
“So this was a good morning for our agents.”
Noem further revealed that the TdA ringleader had allegedly “tried to buy some grenades” and took part in a “gun buy” before he was apprehended by authorities.
“We talk about families that are losing their kids to violence … losing our next generation of Americans to drugs — these folks are perpetuating that,” she said, referring to the criminal migrants she helped apprehend Tuesday morning.
“And we’re going to get them out of here.”
The Trump administration official noted that New York City Mayor Eric Adams was “fantastic” to work with on the operation and that she “talked to him 4 or 5 times last night about what we were doing, our operations and how they could support us.”
When asked if she would be partaking in immigration raids on a “regular basis” as DHS secretary, Noem responded, “Absolutely.”
“I will be out there with our agents and with our law enforcement officers, our border patrol. I will be with all of them because I think that when I’m there, they know they have a leader that supports them, but also I’m learning from them. I’m learning what tools they need, what authorities they need when they arrest someone and turn them over,” she explained, noting potential challenges that may come up when rounding up criminal migrants in sanctuary cities.
“I need to tell that story and then be the liaison to help get those local leaders on board and talk to the community so they see the good work that we’re doing,” Noem continued.
The DHS secretary declared that the Trump administration has already successfully “sent the message” that “If you’re an illegal and if you’re dangerous, we have a target on you, and you will not be welcome. And we will remove you and have consequences.”
