The Department of Homeland Security has identified two alleged leakers within the agency and is prepared to refer them to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Friday that the leakers were telling individuals about DHS operations, putting the lives of law enforcement at risk.
“We have identified criminal leakers within @DHSgov and are preparing to refer these perpetrators to the @TheJusticeDept for felony prosecutions. These individuals face up to 10 years in federal prison. We will find and root out all leakers. They will face prison time & we will get justice for the American people,” Noem said on X in a statement accompanying her video announcement.
Noem and border czar Tom Homan have both criticized the leaks coming from inside DHS to the media about upcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Several planned ICE raids have been leaked to the media including ones in Los Angeles and Aurora, Colorado.
Earlier this week, an ICE operation in northern Virginia was leaked ahead of time to journalist Pablo Manriquez, who shared details about the ICE raids on X, including the parts of northern Virginia where agents were spotted. The leaks did not prevent federal agents from nabbing gang members and other violent criminals just outside of Washington, D.C. in what Noem called a successful operation.
Homan and Noem previously suggested that the FBI was behind the leaks and promised to have the agents responsible prosecuted. Attorney General Pam Bondi has also said the Trump administration will go after leakers and hold them accountable.
“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem recently posted on X. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”
Homan and Noem are overseeing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S., with an early focus on violent criminals and sex offenders. Mass deportations were a central promise of Trump’s campaign and overwhelming majorities of the American people support the policy.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration allowed a record number of illegal aliens to come into the U.S. until he signed an executive order in June restricting the asylum process. Border Patrol agents encountered at least 11 million illegal immigrants under Biden, up from 3.1 million from fiscal years 2017 to 2020, according to a fact sheet from the House Homeland Security Committee.
In February, the Trump administration oversaw only 8,326 apprehensions at the border, the lowest recorded number since 2000, when data first became publicly available, Axios first reported. Trump celebrated the milestone on Truth Social, saying that all those who crossed the border were either prosecuted or sent back.
“Thanks to the Trump Administration Policies, the Border is CLOSED to all Illegal Immigrants. Anyone who tries to illegally enter the U.S.A. will face significant criminal penalties and immediate deportation,” Trump said.
The Trump administration is expanding its mass deportations to target illegal immigrant families, NBC News first reported. The operation will target adults and minors who entered the country together and have deportation orders. Once the aliens are arrested, federal agents will detain them until they are deported.