Kristi Noem announces more than 150 illegal immigrant sex offenders arrested in massive Florida crackdown
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that more than 150 illegal immigrant sex offenders were arrested in Florida as part of a broader effort to crack down on crime with help from state and local officials.
“We’re making America more safe and secure every day, and that’s a wonderful mission to have,” Noem said on “Fox & Friends.”
Operation Criminal Return targeted child sex offenders accused of crimes including sexual assault, battery and attempted homicide, she revealed, telling Fox News’ Lawrence Jones that the operation’s success was largely due to help from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“These 150 individuals will be gone off of our streets. Our kids will be safer, and this partnership with Governor DeSantis in Florida is a model that we want to replicate across the country,” she continued.
“These individuals should have never been in our country to begin with. The fact that they were sexual deviants and perverts, and now we’ve gotten them off of our streets… it’s remarkable, and we need to do more of it.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is also surging resources to other areas across the U.S., including cities like Chicago, where Democratic officials have long resisted the Trump administration’s crackdown.
According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, crime in Chicago has dropped since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, with homicides down 16%, shootings down 35%, robberies down 41% and other crimes declining as well.
Noem said she is “thrilled” with the results but criticized Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for attacking the Trump administration’s actions involving Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agencies.
“[His] personal attacks against President Trump puts his people in jeopardy each and every day,” she said.
“We’re going to surge more resources there. We’re not going to just be in Chicago. We’re spreading out to other cities and continuing to do our work. I won’t talk about specific operations, but we’re not going to give him any relief from his political rhetoric. We’re going to be in there defending these families.
“The significant difference that we have made in public safety in Chicago is something that we need more in many more cities. I’m so thankful for Border Patrol, thankful for ICE, that they get up every single day, and they go into these dangerous situations, and they protect people, [and] put their lives on the line.”
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