Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem snapped at a reporter Friday during a press conference in Nashville, Tennessee for asking a question over alleged racial profiling during immigration raids.
A reporter and attendee of the press conference asked Noem about raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that seemingly target individuals “based on their skin color.”
Noem, who leads ICE as DHS top official, did not take kindly to the question.
“That is not true!” Noem asserted. “That has been another false narrative that has been put out there in the media that I absolutely want to throw back at you and say that is absolutely false, and don’t you dare ever say that again!”
Allegations of racial profiling among ICE agents have increased during President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, with a federal judge ordering the Trump administration last week to halt all indiscriminate immigration stops. Immigrant advocacy organizations also argue that evidence is mounting that ICE agents are frequently engaged in widespread profiling, and have launched several class action lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Noem insisted, however, that immigration officers only work off of "reasonable suspicion,” and flat out denied any instances of racial profiling had taken place.
“We have judges out there and other individuals saying people have been targeted that way, and it is not true,” she continued.
“Every single operation that we do on ICE is based on investigative work and case work to show that there is a reasonable suspicion to go into an area and to talk and look at individuals that are involved in criminal activity. Because that is a narrative that people have been out there saying doesn’t make it true, and it should not be repeated.”
Noem also confronted the reporter’s claims that ICE raids frequently took place in "predominantly Latino communities,” another claim she decried as being without evidence, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
“I wouldn’t say that’s true, I would say that the media has highlighted operations like that, but we have operations ongoing throughout the country every single day in communities everywhere, so I would not say that anyone could show that they’re highlighted in Hispanic communities,” Noem said.
