Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem launched what the department called an international ad campaign on Monday urging illegal immigrants to “self deport and stay out.”

“Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you and we will deport you. You will never return,” Ms. Noem said in a U.S. version of the ad.

And in a message aimed at those outside the U.S. who are still pondering making the attempt at entering illegally, Ms. Noem said don’t try it.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said. “We will hunt you down.”

The messages are delivered to a series of images of people, presumably illegal immigrant deportation targets, with the word “ARRESTED.”

Homeland Security said the ads will run in “multiple countries and regions in various dialects.”

They will be shared on social media and text messages to try to reach illegal immigrants here in the U.S., as well as an international audience, the department said.

Ms. Noem and President Trump are backing up their tough talk with serious action. The border numbers have tumbled to their lowest levels in decades and deportation officers have stepped up arrests of illegal immigrants in the interior.

Immigration groups decry the president’s successes, saying it comes at the cost of deporting some illegal immigrants who have families and lack criminal records.

Mr. Trump’s team has said that he is prioritizing illegal immigrants with criminal records but anyone in the country without legal status is liable to be deported.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.