Kristi Noem on Cartel Violence, Border Security, and Deportation Strategies

Escalating Cartel Violence and Agent Dangers

• ⚠️ Cartel members are becoming increasingly sophisticated and violent, posing significant dangers to border agents.
• 🎯 Smugglers employ tactics like task saturation to distract Border Patrol while moving illicit individuals and substances.
• 🛡️ Agents are now equipped with body armor, a necessity that was not present four years ago, highlighting the heightened risks.
• 📱 Cartels leverage advanced technology such as apps and drones, and partner with adversaries to conduct human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.

Enforcement Strategies and Legal Tools

• 🏛️ The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is being utilized to target dangerous gangs like TDA from Venezuela, aiming for their deportation and prosecution.
• ⚖️ The administration is focused on enforcing federal laws, building border walls, and securing the border to deter illegal activity.
• 🇺🇸 President Trump is prioritizing American people's safety by using available legal tools to remove dangerous criminals.
• 💰 New financial penalties for overstaying removal orders, potentially reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars, are being emphasized to incentivize self-deportation.

Deportation and Detention Facilities

• 🚢 Guantanamo Bay is being utilized as a detention facility for dangerous individuals, with ample capacity available.
• ✈️ The focus is on returning individuals to their home countries and ensuring they face consequences for their actions.
• 📈 Arrest numbers have significantly increased, with more deportations occurring under the current administration than in the previous year.

Unaccompanied Minors and Exploitation

• 🧒 Young cartel and gang members, some as young as 12 or 13 years old, are being trained and sent as unaccompanied minors to exploit the system.
• 🧬 DNA testing has been reinstituted to verify family relationships and identify potential trafficking or recycling of children.
• 🏠 ICE operations are ensuring that children are in safe environments and are supposed to be with the adults they are with.

Border Security Improvements and Reduced Encounters

• 📉 Border encounters have seen a 95% drop, reaching historically low numbers, allowing agents to focus on enforcement rather than processing.
• 🧱 Physical barriers, including fortified walls, have replaced less secure structures, significantly reducing illegal crossings in key areas like Nogales.
• 🌐 The CBP One app is encouraging self-deportations by informing individuals of the consequences of not leaving voluntarily.