Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem flipped the script on NBC's Kristen Welker over the weekend when she asked if immigrants living here legally should be worried about being "wrongfully detained" in Trump's America.
In a Sunday segment of "Meet the Press," Welker asked Noem whether those with legal status in the U.S. should fear somehow getting caught up in the Trump administration's mass deportation operations. Welker said she has spoken with legal immigrants who have "expressed concerns" and in some cases are carrying around their immigration documents for fear of wrongful detainment.
"Do people who are here legally need to be carrying around paperwork? And can you guarantee that people who are here legally won't be wrongfully detained?" Welker questioned.
In response, Noem slammed the mainstream media for fearmongering about deportation among legal immigrants.
"Kristen, I would say that if I've heard that expressed by people that are legal citizens of the United States, it's because the media has perpetuated that fear. The media has said that that's a possibility," Noem replied. "There's nothing from this administration, from President Trump or from any of the law enforcement individuals in these communities, that has said that they need to walk around and be concerned about that at all."
Noem noted that not only are Americans supportive of President Donald Trump's deportation plan, but she's also seen U.S. citizens thank federal immigration officers for their service.
"The citizens of the United States are confident that finally, after four long years of having a president in the White House that ignored federal law and endangered their communities, that there's a different man in charge now. There's a man in charge who loves this country [and] is going to help make their communities safer," she said. "These citizens that live here are thrilled."
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At the time of her interview with Welker, Noem had arrived in Del Rio, Texas, for her first border trip as U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. Last week, she joined a major U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid, which targeted the violent Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua's presence in New York City. There, she saw firsthand what this crackdown on illegal immigration means to many Americans.
"In fact, when I was in New York City earlier this week and in several cities since then, the people walking by us on the streets were thanking our officers," Noem recalled. "They were thanking these investigators and those that were taking these dangerous criminals out for being there, for making sure that they could walk their kids to school with a new confidence that they could get there safely and that they could do business and have their community back."
Welker also alleged that some legal immigrants are afraid of going to church and sending their kids off to school, invoking a debunked claim that ICE agents were rounding up immigrant children within the Chicago Public Schools system.
It was actually the Secret Service that showed up at a Chicago elementary school to investigate a threat to one of the agency's protectees. "Secret Service does not investigate or enforce immigration matters," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the incident on X. "We understand that many are rightfully feeling scared at the moment," Johnson tweeted. "Today, Secret Service agents, not ICE agents, were present at John H. Hamline Elementary School. While people across the city are worried about heightened immigration enforcement, it is imperative that individuals not spread unverified information that sparks fear across the city."
The media, including NBC's Chicago affiliate, ran with the fake news story, causing widespread panic at Hamline Elementary School, whose student population is over 92 percent Hispanic, according to the 2023-2024 Illinois Report Card. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also helped spread it.
Chicago Public Schools called the incident "a misunderstanding" and reaffirmed their commitment to "keep our students...safe."
"While this was a misunderstanding in terms of the specific branch of DHS, the school's response demonstrates that our system, in partnership with community organizations, is prepared and ready to keep our students and staff safe," CPS reportedly said.
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