On February 12, during a press conference held at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry near San Diego, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem once again called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to strengthen cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Noem stated that ICE had issued detention orders for over 33,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal records detained in California, but the state released 4,500 of them back onto the streets. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons also wrote to California Attorney General Rob Bonta requesting compliance with ICE’s detention orders.
According to a statement released by DHS on February 5, the crimes committed by these undocumented immigrants included 399 murders, 3,313 assaults, 3,171 burglaries, 1,011 robberies, 8,380 drug cases, 1,984 weapons offenses, and 1,293 sexual crimes.
In a post on social media platform X on February 6, Noem urged Newsom not to release over 33,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal records back onto the streets without notifying ICE. Newsom’s office responded through a statement and a post on X, stating that California has been cooperating with ICE in returning criminals. The Governor’s office pointed out, “The federal government did not take away all the criminals they claim they want to deal with. California did not obstruct ICE from taking away violent criminals.”
The Governor’s office stated that since 2019, California has coordinated the transfer of over 12,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal records (including murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals) to ICE. The office also noted that federal immigration officials often miss about one-eighth of undocumented immigrants with ICE detention orders released from California prisons.
On February 12, Noem visited a secure vault containing 188,218 pounds of seized drugs, including 100,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 59,000 pounds of cocaine, and 7,400 pounds of fentanyl – equivalent to 1.7 billion lethal doses. She mentioned that under the leadership of the Trump administration, fentanyl smuggling into the country had decreased by 56% and called for cooperation between California, DHS, ICE, and local law enforcement to prevent criminals and illegal drugs from causing harm on the streets. She also highlighted the stories of parents who had lost their children due to fentanyl overdoses.
Noem said, “Drug trafficking organizations engage in human trafficking, torture, and beheading of victims, profiting from the deaths of Americans. This is why President Trump designated them as foreign terrorist organizations on his first day in office.” She mentioned that while the Trump administration was blocking “threats from entering our country,” the focus should also be on those already within the borders, spread in California’s prisons and jails.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks criticized the Biden administration for lax border security measures and a “catch and release” policy that led to thousands of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents being reassigned from ports of entry to handle millions of undocumented immigrants.
Banks stated that as personnel returned to ports of entry to conduct inspections and drug interdiction, there was a significant increase in the seizure of illegal drugs. He also mentioned that during the past nine months under the Trump administration, “not a single undocumented immigrant” was released into the country, reaching historically high levels of border security.
CBP Acting Assistant Commissioner Diane Sabatino expressed that funding specifically allocated to DHS in the Big and Secure Act was blocked by Senate Democrats during budget negotiations on February 12. This funding was intended to be a “generational investment” in border security.
She explained that this funding would have allowed CBP to expand its capabilities, most notably hiring over 5,000 officers at ports of entry to seize more drugs and combat drug trafficking organizations. Sabatino emphasized, “Border security is national security, and our efforts will never cease.”