“We’re not going to let them terrorize our streets anymore or make victims of families any longer,” declared DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a press conference on October 20th.
Secretary Noem praised President Trump’s success in restoring law and order, calling his accomplishments in the first nine months of this administration “nothing short of extraordinary.”
Together, President Trump and Secretary Noem are fulfilling the promise to Make America Safe Again.
Since January, DHS law enforcement has arrested more than 480,000 illegal aliens, with 70% facing criminal charges or prior convictions.
In addition, over two million have voluntarily departed the United States under federal pressure and incentive programs.
Secretary Noem criticized the media for distorting the truth about these operations, saying she came forward publicly to correct the record.
Through ICE raids and targeted detentions, authorities have seized weapons and drugs, focusing on what Noem described as “the worst of the worst.”
Recent cases include a Cuban national with a prior removal order from 2008, convicted of murder, carjacking, and kidnapping; a convicted child sex offender and repeat DUI offender who illegally reentered the U.S. after two deportations; a Mexican national with prior arrests for burglary, cocaine possession, larceny, and lewd acts against a minor; and a Honduran national convicted of domestic battery and twice previously deported.
“These are just a few examples,” Noem said, “of individuals who entered our country illegally and went on to victimize American families. Now they will be incarcerated, brought to justice, and punished for their crimes.”
Secretary Noem condemned the Left’s anti-police rhetoric, warning that it has fueled a 1,000 percent increase in violence against law enforcement officers. “We have to stop the rhetoric that encourages individuals to commit violence against those who enforce our laws,” she said.
Recent attacks underscore her concern. On July 4, 2025, twelve armed assailants wearing black body armor launched a coordinated assault on the ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas.
The attackers used fireworks as a diversion before firing AR-15-style rifles at responding officers.
An Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck and hospitalized.
Federal prosecutors later filed terrorism-related charges, describing the attack as politically motivated after investigators found anti-ICE and anarchist propaganda at the scene.
Less than three months later, on September 24, another gunman opened fire from a rooftop at an ICE field office in Dallas, shooting into a van carrying detainees.
One detainee was killed, two were critically wounded, and the shooter took his own life. Shell casings engraved with “ANTI ICE” confirmed the ideological motive.
On the day of Secretary Noem’s press conference, a U.S. Marshal and an illegal immigrant were both shot during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the suspect, who had previously escaped custody, tried to flee by ramming federal vehicles.
Agents returned fire in self-defense, injuring the suspect, while one marshal was struck in the hand by a ricochet.
McLaughlin blamed the rise in attacks on “sanctuary politicians and activists” who encourage resistance to arrest and urged the media to “turn the temperature down” before more lives are lost.
Secretary Noem warned that Mexican cartels and U.S.-based extremist groups are now placing bounties on the heads of ICE officers, vowing that “we will bring those people to justice.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, cartels have offered thousands of dollars for assaults, kidnappings, and assassinations of federal agents.
In Chicago, gang members linked to the Latin Kings have positioned armed spotters on rooftops to track federal movements, helping facilitate ambushes during operations such as Operation Midway Blitz.
DHS also reports that Antifa groups in Chicago and Portland are providing logistical support, including doxxing agents and organizing protests to obstruct deportations.
Secretary Noem described the campaign as “an organized effort of terror” against law enforcement and reaffirmed that the United States “will not back down.” DHS has urged the public to report any suspicious surveillance or interference with ICE and CBP operations through its national tip line.
The threat is not hypothetical. On October 14, 2025, federal agents arrested Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal alien from Mexico, in Dallas, Texas, after he posted a TikTok video offering $10,000 bounties for the murder of ICE officers.
Aguilar, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 and was ordered removed in 2019, had a loaded 9mm handgun in his vehicle at the time of arrest, a felony for a non-citizen.
He now faces federal charges for transmitting threats across state lines. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin praised law enforcement for averting a potential attack, noting that ICE officers “are facing ambushes, terrorist attacks, and death threats” simply for enforcing the law.
The arrest was part of a joint operation involving ICE, the FBI–Dallas, the Federal Protective Service, and multiple Texas law enforcement agencies.
Read the full article here