Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem engaged in a heated debate with CBS host Margaret Brennan during a Sunday appearance on "Face the Nation," vigorously defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in Minnesota while disputing the network's reporting on arrest statistics.
A Clash Over Numbers and Criminal Charges
The tense exchange began when Brennan asked Noem to specify what percentage of immigrants taken into ICE custody had committed criminal acts versus civil infractions. Noem asserted that every individual detained had committed a crime, and made a striking claim about the severity of those offenses.
"Every single individual has committed a crime, but 70% of them have committed or have charges against them on violent crimes," Noem stated, adding that these were individuals who entered the country illegally and then committed criminal acts either in the U.S. or in their home countries.
Brennan immediately challenged the figure, interjecting, "It's not 70%." Noem fired back, "Yes, it is. It absolutely is." She accused the media of "changing your percentage" and "pick[ing] and choos[ing] what numbers you think work," insisting that 70% of those detained faced charges or convictions and "need to be brought to justice."
The secretary concluded her point by alleging, "We're going to keep doing that no matter how much you guys keep lying and don't tell the public the truth."
Dispute Over Agency Data and Border Security
Brennan did not relent, countering with data she attributed to Noem's own department. "Well, our reporting is 47% based on your agency's own numbers — 47% have criminal convictions against them," the host declared. Noem dismissed this, saying Brennan was "wrong again" and promised, "We'll get you the correct numbers so you can use them in the future." Brennan retorted, "Well, that's from your agency."
Earlier in the interview, Brennan pressed Noem on the scope of ICE operations in Minnesota, citing Pew Research Center data indicating the state's population of immigrants without legal status stands at 2.2%. She questioned how the agency could declare "mission accomplished" in rounding people up.
Noem responded that operations would continue "until we are sure that all the dangerous people are picked up, brought to justice, and then deported." She pivoted to blame the Biden administration, arguing the situation stemmed from open border policies that she claimed allowed "up to 20 million people unvetted into this country."
"Millions" of Dangerous Individuals?
The secretary admitted that due to this influx, "we have no idea how many dangerous people are here." She alleged that "millions of people" who are "terrorists, suspected terrorist[s] and criminals" entered due to "mass migration that the Biden administration facilitated," preventing her from giving Minnesotans an exact count.
Noem argued that Minnesota citizens are "extremely grateful every time we get a pedophile off the street." When Brennan seized on the term "millions," shooting back "Sure, but you just said millions," the segment highlighted the deep divide in perspectives on the scale and nature of the immigration challenge.
The interview underscored the ongoing political friction surrounding immigration enforcement, data transparency, and the broader debate over border security policies ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
