Kristi Noem (00:00):
… give you a quick update on some of the work and operations that they've been doing as well.
(00:04)
We have Tonya Price, who's the HSI, an Assistant Special Agent in charge that is stationed here and is doing good work for the citizens of Minnesota. And also Toria Rich, she's the ERO Deputy Field Office Director that has been here for several years now, working to help protect community members.
(00:22)
Listen, the work that these individuals have done has been incredible. Under the Trump administration, our president has been focused on protecting American citizens, on making America safe again, and these individuals get up every single day and support their law enforcement officers that are out on the street upholding the law.
(00:40)
Now, remember, in this country with this president in the White House, we don't pick winners and losers. We don't decide which law gets enforced and which one doesn't. There are laws, they are on the books, they were put in place, voted on and instituted, and therefore we enforce them all. If members of Congress, senators, governors don't like the law, then they should go through the work of changing them. And telegraphing and communicating to their members that live in their communities why it needs to be changed.
(01:10)
So today, these officers have done incredible work to make sure they're protecting our next generation of Americans. Just since January, they have removed over 4,300 individuals off of our streets who have been arrested and were committing crimes and here illegally in this country. 3,316 had criminal histories, which means they were out there perpetuating violence against citizens here and now they're no longer doing that because of the work of these law enforcement officers. Of those individuals, 98 of them were gang members, members of foreign terrorist organizations as designated by the Trump administration.
(01:51)
Also, 11 of those individuals were known or suspected terrorists. People who will not be able to commit those atrocities here in the United States because we were out on the streets arresting them and removing them and bringing them to justice. Two of the individuals that have been arrested just since January were foreign fugitives, which means other countries were wanting them for violent crimes and looking for them. And they were able to locate them and send them home to their countries to face justice as well.
(02:20)
Our officers are in the streets every single day doing difficult work to make sure that our laws are upheld and that families are protected. Since January 515,000 have been arrested and deported across this country and removed for breaking our laws. 70% of those individuals had pending or criminal charges against them. I'll talk about a few of the worst of the worst that had been removed from this area, but I want you to know that the individuals that have been arrested and removed have had crimes and charges against them, such as murder, assaults, homicides, robberies, carjackings and shootings.
(03:01)
And all of those numbers in this community, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, those numbers have only gone up since 2019 under the leadership of Mayor Frey, under the leadership of Governor Walz, more violent crimes are being perpetuated in these communities because of their refusal to defend American citizens. Regardless, our federal officers, our ICE officers, ERO, HSI, in partnership with our Department of Justice agencies and other individuals throughout the federal government, we will continue to do the work to make sure that these criminals are removed from our communities.
(03:36)
I want you to look at these posters that we have up here at the front of the room. One of the individuals, his last name is Munoz. He's from Mexico and he was brought in and arrested for charges of homicide. Another one is Hernandez-Rivieres from El Salvador. The charges against him are human slavery and trafficking, trafficking of individuals in this country. Garcia is in front of us as well. His last name is Garcia Oliver from Mexico. He's been wanted and charged with sexual assault. And then another individual in front of us on these posters in front of us is Gonzalez-Rivieres. He's from El Salvador and is wanted for assault. These individuals have been arrested because of these individual law enforcement officers in our community and will be brought to justice and deported from our country never to return.
(04:25)
We also had operation that has been working in this area specific to visa fraud. Visa fraud has been very rampant in these cities and the USCIS agency has worked on Operation Twin Shield, which is a first of its kind visa fraud operation that has gone out and investigated those who maybe came into this country under wrong paperwork or overstayed and refused to leave and they utilized fraud to do so. It has been incredible the work that these officers have done in conjunction with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to make sure that those individuals no longer get to break our laws and aren't held to consequences of it.
(05:08)
The violence against our law enforcement officers has gone up 1,000% in recent days, which means because of the rhetoric of politicians in Washington D.C., but also here locally, our law enforcement officers have been demonized. And because of that, the consequences of the violence that they've had to face has been overwhelming for them at time. I'm here today to ask all of the people in Minnesota, all of the people in the Midwest and throughout our country, to support your law enforcement officers. To support them and help protect them as they go out and do their jobs. Each and every single one of them took an oath. They took an oath to support and to defend this country, to defend their communities and protect people, and that's what they're doing every day when they go out and they enforce the law. They make sure that people who perpetuate violence on individuals are brought to justice and that those who break our laws face the consequences of that and are removed from our country.
(06:04)
We've seen attacks across our country on law enforcement but also on their facilities. We last night had an unprecedented attack on a Coast Guard facility in California by San Francisco. We've seen individuals going after patriots who step up to defend not just our streets, but also defend us internationally and defend us on a national security standpoint each and every day. We need to change our ways in this country. We need to start telling the stories of the victims that will be protected, the people that will be protected, the families that will be able to let their kids walk to school safely now because that terrorist or that sexual predator is off the streets. We need to start talking about these families that need justice for the lost loved ones in their lives, and we need to make sure that we're talking and sitting at a table coming up with solutions on what we can do to make America safe again.
(06:56)
Violent protests, violent attacks and riots and attacks on our law enforcement officers shouldn't be happening in this country. This country was founded on freedom and liberty and raising individuals who can be examples to others of the way that we should live. The Midwest and the Minnesota has always been proud of that, and I think that we can continue to set an example by new agreements that we can reach with law enforcement agencies, but also this city and this governor by making sure that we're enforcing our laws and that we have partnerships together.
(07:28)
In fact, we've been very encouraged by the fact that we have one of our local counties that assigned a 287(g) program to help us be able to make sure we're getting criminal illegal aliens off of our streets and out of our communities and off of our roads so that we can protect individuals going forward. The people of this state deserve peace, and I'm hopeful that we'll continue to see that through the good work of these law enforcement officers in front of us.
(07:54)
If you get the chance today, thank someone who defends our laws. Our laws matter, and if we don't like them, we change them, but in the meantime, we're going to continue to work to make America safe again. With that, I want to turn it over to Sam who's going to talk a little bit about some of the work that this office in particular has done, and I'll let him do that, and then we'll go to David as well. Thank you, Sam.
Sam Westbay (08:19):
Good afternoon. Thank you, Secretary Noem for joining us today and for your unwavering support of the critical work we do at ICE and Homeland Security Investigations. My name is Sam Westbay. I'm an Acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul.
(08:32)
I have the privilege of leading a team, exceptional professionals who are dedicated to safeguarding our communities and dismantling the transnational criminal networks that threaten our national security. The threats we face today are more sophisticated and global than ever before. Criminal organizations operate across borders, exploiting vulnerabilities to traffic drugs, weapons, and humans, launder money and engage in cybercrime. These crimes don't just harm individuals. They undermine the fabric of our society, our economy, and our national security.
(09:05)
But HSI St. Paul is meeting these challenges head on. Across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota our agents and analysts are conducting complex investigations that are breaking apart these networks, rescuing victims and holding perpetrators accountable. We've united with our federal partners and other law enforcement agencies to create the Homeland Security Task Force St. Paul to combat the cartels foreign terrorist organizations and take harmful narcotics and weapons off the streets in Minnesota and the Dakotas like you see in front of you.
(09:36)
The work we do is not easy. It requires long hours, meticulous attention to detail, and a willingness to confront dangerous and often unpredictable situations. But the men and women of HSI St. Paul rise to the occasion every day driven by a deep sense of duty to the constitution and federal laws and an unwavering commitment to the mission. As Secretary Noem is highlighting the safety and security of the American people is our top priority. HSI St. Paul is proud to play a leading role in advancing that mission and we will continue to do so with the same determination resolve that has defined our work thus far. Thank you.
David Easterwood (10:23):
Good afternoon. Thank you Secretary Noem for your leadership and for taking the time to join us here today. Your presence underscores the importance of the work we do every day in service to the mission of the Department of Homeland Security and the American people.
(10:37)
My name is David Easterwood. I'm the Acting Field Office Director for Enforcement Removal Operations, ERO St. Paul. I'm honored to lead the officers and staff of ICRO across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. The men and women of ERO St. Paul embody the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and dedication. Every day they face complex challenges with determination and resolve, ensuring the safety of our communities and the enforcement of our nation's immigration laws. Their work is critical to the security of the United States, and I'm proud to lead such an outstanding team.
(11:13)
Across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa our efforts have made a profound impact. Whether it's apprehending criminal illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety, managing detention operations with care and professionalism or collaborating with federal, state, and local partners, our officers demonstrate every day what it means to serve with honor and dedication. As Secretary Noem has emphasized, our mission is clear, to protect the homeland, uphold the rule of law, and ensure the safety and security of the American people.
(11:47)
As we move forward I'm confident that this team will continue to rise to the challenges before us. Thank you.
Kristi Noem (11:52):
That was great, thank you. Thank you, Sam and David. And this office has been focused on getting the worst of the worst off of our streets. The results that they have brought forward for this community and the city has been absolutely incredible. But as they talked about, they service not just Minnesota, but the surrounding region as well, and we pray every day for their safety when they're out doing their work and that they would continue to have the support of the people who live here. So with that, we will open it up to any questions that you may have.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Secretary Noem, can you tell us whether or not you plan to deploy the National Guard or increase the presence of other federal agents in Minneapolis and St. Paul or the surrounding metro area?
Kristi Noem (12:32):
It's up to the president on if he believes that National Guard should be deployed to any situation in any city across our country, but we do have an increase of federal officers that will be coming. As you know, we had a big bill passed through Congress that allocated to us 10,000 new ICE officers across the country. We have received over 175,000 applicants for those jobs. So the first 12 to 1500 are out in their offices now, have been trained and qualified and equipped and are out there doing their work. We have thousands more in the next week or two that will be deployed to field offices as well, and this office will be the beneficiary of that as well. So you'll see dozens of new agents and federal officers here doing the work to get these criminals and terrorists off of our streets.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
Curious about the weapons and drugs that we've seen on the table. Were those seized locally and were they seized this year?
Kristi Noem (13:24):
They were. I will let Sam talk about the specifics on each of these, but yes, these are all drugs and weapons that were seized from the operations that these law enforcement officers conducted here in this area. So I'll let you talk a little bit about specifics if you'd like to.
Sam Westbay (13:38):
Yes. I don't have a lot of specifics on them because obviously some of these cases are still ongoing in the courts. But the dope and the methamphetamines, the fentanyl and the weapons scene here have been taken off the streets in Minneapolis and St. Paul, between us and our federal partners, DEA, ATF, FBI, and everyone else that we work with. But they have been taken off the streets at some point in time throughout the year here, so this is not something uncommon to this area to see this.
Speaker 6 (14:06):
Madam Secretary, earlier this week or yesterday, Mayor Lurie of San Francisco said that he talked to you after President Trump said that he wouldn't be doing a federal deployment in San Francisco. What did you tell the mayor during that call? Is there still chance that San Francisco could end up with federal immigration or [inaudible 00:14:23] enforcement?
Kristi Noem (14:24):
I did talk with the mayor of San Francisco and we talked about all of his efforts to bring some safety and security to the streets of San Francisco. And that he had had a conversation with the president who said we would cooperate and help as much as we could, but that if he didn't get it under control, that we would move in. That we would bring in more support, potentially National Guard, Department of War individuals that would be able to help make sure that those people get safety that they deserve as well.
(14:52)
I'll tell you what. Last night was not a good example of what the mayor is accomplishing and what the people in that area are accomplishing. To see this violent individual use a truck to try to break into our Coast Guard base and to ram those individuals and threaten the lives of the individuals who serve in our Coast Guard was horrific and we won't stand for that anymore. I talked to the president about it just a couple of hours after it happened early this morning and the president said that was their one chance. That if they don't figure out how to protect our law enforcement officers and protect our Coast Guard members, that we would be forced to come in and protect those individuals.
(15:34)
Listen, our Coast Guard as well has been out there doing a lot of this drug interdiction that you see across the country and across the world. They don't just have a search and rescue mission. They have a mission to go out there and do a lot of interdiction out in our maritime seas and are picking up tons of cocaine and fentanyl and meth that's being shipped in. Because our border is closed, these cartels and terrorist organizations are moving it through different methods. And so our Coast Guard has been absolute rock stars and being partners with ICE and ERO and HSI to make sure that we're not just bringing people to justice, but that we're also getting these deadly drugs off of our streets.
(16:13)
We have saved millions of lives by doing operations like this and getting this drugs out of a system and keeping them away from our children.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Secretary Noem, do you-
Kristi Noem (16:23):
Right here.
Speaker 7 (16:24):
Are you able to elaborate further, more specifically when we should be seeing those dozens of new agents and will they be targeting a specific demographic here in Minneapolis?
Kristi Noem (16:34):
Our new agents that will come to this region will continue to do the work that this office has done. They'll continue to go out and to not just go after the worst of the worst, but make sure that those individuals that are in this country illegally are brought to justice and deported.
(16:50)
One thing I would remind everybody is that we've telegraphed this from the very beginning of the administration is that if you're here illegally, go home. We will give you $1,000 cash, we'll buy you a plane ticket and you'll get the chance to come back to America the right way. If you wait until we detain you and have to deport you, it may take you months to get there, to get through the due process of it, and then you will never get the chance to come back to America and to be one of our citizens and enjoy what is so special about this country.
(17:19)
So again, everyone should go download the CBP One app and be able to facilitate your flight and your payment, and we would like to get you back home to your country so that if you want to come back, you can do it the right way.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
Secretary Noem, [inaudible 00:17:36].
Kristi Noem (17:36):
It's been incredibly successful. The question is if it's been successful encouraging people to voluntarily go home? Absolutely. We have over 1.6 million people that have voluntarily deported on their own. Decided I'm not going to wait until they come and find me and arrest me, I'm going to go home now and get the chance to come back. And many of these countries that they are coming from have set up different programs and training opportunities for them. You go to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, many of these countries have training programs, housing loans that they will give to individuals who are returning back. They want them to be a part of their economy.
(18:14)
Their situation has changed as well. Because America has enforced our borders and we've worked with them so much that they're doing better and their businesses are growing. So we would encourage people to continue to do that. Overwhelmingly, people understand now that it's different in the United States, now we follow the law. Now we enforce the law and now people are safe again. Go down here.
Speaker 5 (18:34):
[inaudible 00:18:35] instances where ICE agents have not been verbally identifying themselves here in Minnesota. Is that something that's being handled internally?
Kristi Noem (18:42):
Our agents always follow exactly what the law is and what the regulation and the protocol is for every single operation that they're out on. So they're always identifying themselves and making sure that people know who they are and why they're there.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
Recently, a couple weeks ago, there was workers on a roofing company that were detained in St. Paul, and multiple witnesses who live in that neighborhood said that ICE agents were not identifying themselves. Is that something that's been resolved since?
Kristi Noem (19:11):
Our agents follow the exact same operational protocols and regulations and structure and law that they always have. Nothing has changed for how they operate going out there and making sure they're detaining people that are here illegally that have committed criminal activities and that need to be removed from our country.
Speaker 7 (19:28):
Secretary Noem, can you or Mr. Westbay provide some clarification on the two men on the posters behind you? Did they live in this area? When were they arrested? Any more details you can provide on them?
Kristi Noem (19:40):
Do you want to talk?
Sam Westbay (19:41):
I'd actually have refer to David on this one.
Kristi Noem (19:43):
Yep.
Sam Westbay (19:43):
I believe those are your-
Kristi Noem (19:43):
I've got some details too. Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz was a Mexican who has been convicted of assault and homicide in 2004. He was arrested for first-degree assault, third-degree assault and malicious punishment of a child. In 2005, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 32 years in prison. In 2015, arrested for two counts of third-degree assault. In 2016, again, convicted of third-degree assault and sentenced to 21 months in prison. And yes, the individual was arrested under this administration since President Trump has come in.
(20:21)
The next one, Jose Hernandez Rivieres, an El Salvadorian illegal alien convicted of human slavery and trafficking. In 2023 he was convicted of one count of labor or sex trafficking, which is a felony, and he was sentenced to 10 to 12 years of prison, again, arrested with this administration. I'll remind you that our detainers that we have on individuals here are not being honored by the state. So when we lodge a detainer against someone that's going to be released back out onto the streets, this state is not honoring those detainers, correct? Which means those dangerous criminals are released and we have to go out and find them. We wish this state would change their position on that.
(21:00)
Francisco Garcia-Oliviar, an illegal alien from Mexico was convicted of sexual assault. In 2021, convicted of attempted sexual assault in the first degree and sexual assault on a child of the third degree and sentenced to 12 to 14 years in prison. And the last one is David Gonzalez-Rivieres, illegal alien from El Salvador. Pending charges for assault, additional pending charges including drug possession, weapons possession, and also that includes a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
Speaker 8 (21:34):
Were they arrested?
Kristi Noem (21:34):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
Are you pointing to-
Kristi Noem (21:35):
One last question? Who wants to be the last one? Yes, sir.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
During the October 18th grade in Wilder, Idaho, multiple parents say that their children as young as 10 were zip tied for up to four hours. Other parents say they were restrained and unable to care for their kids. Most of them were US citizens who were later released. Does ICE have any policies on the treatment of minor during raids and if so, do you make sure that your partner agencies are aware of the rules ahead of time?
Kristi Noem (21:59):
Absolutely. Those children, absolutely, that never happened. That's a fake story. That is not true. Children have never been zip tied and that will not happen in the future.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
Secretary Noem, can you tell us whether you plan to increase immigration capacity in terms of detainment here in Minnesota, including possibly entering a contract to use the Prairie Correctional Facility?
Kristi Noem (22:20):
I can't speak specific to a contract, but we are looking for more opportunities for detention partnerships here in the state of Minnesota. So we're looking a lot to state agreements, but also where the state isn't cooperative such as Governor Walz has not been, I would say we're looking for sheriffs, local communities, smaller towns that may have the ability to help provide and partner with us. Because they know so many of these individuals that are dangerous in their communities and they can work with us to make sure that we're meeting not just their law enforcement needs, but also we're getting those people out of their area as soon as possible.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Is there capacity you're looking for?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
When has Governor Walz not been cooperative?
Kristi Noem (23:00):
Well, I think starting by calling our law enforcement officers Nazis and Gestapo would be just about the worst thing you could ever do. When you have someone who has taken an oath to give their life to defend communities and to defend this country and our constitution, that's a horrible thing to say. And I haven't heard him apologize for it yet either. But if he would sign agreements with us to have our backs out on operations that he would help with the safety and the security of our federal officers when they're out there protecting people and making sure that we're focused on getting the worst of the worst off our streets as soon as possible, that would be absolutely wonderful.
(23:38)
That would be a sea change that would be fundamental because I don't know how he sleeps at night. I don't know how he goes to bed knowing that letting these people walk these streets and there can be more victims the next day. I hope that the next family who loses their child to the drugs that are on this table or illegal weapons that are on the streets doesn't have to put up with a governor like that.
Speaker 6 (23:59):
Thank you so much.
Kristi Noem (24:09):
Thank you everybody.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
[inaudible 00:24:09] are behind you, have they been deported yet?