Kristi Noem on Cartel Violence, Teen Smugglers, and Border Security

Escalating Cartel Violence and Agent Danger

• ⚠️ Cartel agents are facing increased danger due to sophisticated and violent tactics, including coordinated attacks with assault weapons.
• 🚨 The cartels are becoming more desperate as federal laws are enforced, leading to increased aggression against Border Patrol agents.
• 🛡️ Agents are reportedly happier and more motivated because they can now perform their jobs and protect the homeland, with enhanced tools and equipment.

Sophistication of Cartel Operations

• 📱 Cartels are utilizing advanced technology like apps and drones, partnering with adversaries to conduct human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.
• 🧒 Young cartel members are being trained as unaccompanied minors to exploit the system and conduct criminal activities, often at a very young age.
• 🗺️ Smugglers employ tactics like task saturation, using distractions to move illicit activities through border weaknesses.

Enforcement Strategies and Detention

• ⚖️ The Alien Enemies Act is being used to target dangerous gangs like Tren de Aragua (TDA) for deportation and prosecution.
• 🏛️ The administration is using existing laws and authorities to target dangerous criminals, including those involved in murder, rape, trafficking, and killing children.
• 🏝️ Guantanamo Bay is being utilized as a detention facility for dangerous individuals, with plans to continue using its capacity.

Addressing Unaccompanied Minors and Smuggling

• 🧬 DNA testing has been reinstituted to verify family relationships and identify if children are being exploited by cartels or traffickers.
• 🕵️ Enforcement activities are focusing on children daily, including ICE operations to ensure children are in safe environments and not with gang or cartel members.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Juveniles are being used as human smugglers because they are harder to prosecute federally; Texas DPS is now charging suspected juvenile smugglers with state-level felonies.

Border Security Measures and Declining Encounters

• 🧱 The border is being secured with wall construction and fortified barriers, eliminating historical weaknesses exploited by criminal cartels.
• 📉 There has been a significant decrease in border encounters, with numbers dropping by 95% and reaching historically low levels, allowing agents to focus on law enforcement rather than processing.
• 🏠 The CBP One app is encouraging self-deportation by informing individuals of criminal and financial penalties for overstaying removal orders.