Noem joins 'Fox & Friends,' warns ICE officers face ambushes, family kidnapping threats
Noem describes 'heavy weight' of protecting ICE agents amid growing threats: 'Unprecedented'
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss anti-ICE rhetoric as agents face growing threats, the latest on the investigation into a shooting at a Texas ICE facility and more.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is sounding the alarm over what she describes as an intense rise in violence targeting immigration officers. She explained the threats against ICE agents were "getting worse" and blamed inflammatory rhetoric from the left.
"Some of these Democrat leaders in some of these communities and states are really, really elevating the emotion out there and lying, and putting these officers' lives in jeopardy," Noem said on "Fox & Friends," Thursday.
"They are just upholding the rule of law. … It really is unprecedented, this environment that we're in."
DHS REVEALS SHOCKING 500% INCREASE IN ASSAULTS AGAINST ICE OFFICERS DURING OPERATIONS
Her remarks come after an attack on officers in Alvarado, Texas last Independence Day. A group of heavily armed individuals used fireworks and graffiti to lure ICE agents into a parking lot near a migrant facility. Phrases like "traitor" and "ICE pig" were spray-painted onto their personal vehicles.
While officers responded, shots were fired from nearby, striking one local police officer in the neck, who is expected to survive.
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA - JUNE 24: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem boards the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba for a meeting on drug interdiction on June 24, 2025 in Panama City, Panama. (Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker)
Noem said attacks like this are part of a troubling pattern. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News they’ve seen assaults against ICE officers rise nearly 700% since the same time last year, something Noem called "unprecedented."
"These targeted attacks against these law enforcement officers is a disrespect and a dangerous situation that we're in," she said.
Tensions regarding immigration enforcement have escalated, with anti-ICE riots breaking out in Los Angeles last month. Many city and state leaders have pushed back against the Trump administration’s deportation agenda, refusing to cooperate with immigration authorities. Critics argue the raids are politically motivated and destabilize communities.
Noem said that rhetoric by politicians has had real-world consequences for her officers.
Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on July 01, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
"I think about it every day, every word that comes out of my mouth. I think, how can I protect these officers so they can do their jobs?" said Noem. "It’s a heavy weight that sits on you every single day."
She also addressed a website that works to expose the identities of ICE agents, who typically cover their faces to protect themselves and their families from retribution. According to Noem, the website has led to direct threats against agents and their loved ones.
"They’re talking about kidnapping their families. They’re going after their colleagues," she said. "It’s extremely dangerous, and the rhetoric has to stop."
Noem defended ICE’s broader mission and said attacks against officers won’t deter their work. She pointed to the agency’s role in tracking down thousands of missing migrant children who entered through the Biden-era sponsorship program. Many, she said, were exploited by abusers.
"These ICE officers are patriots," she said. "They’re going out every day and making our streets safer."
The DHS secretary urged Americans to support ICE agents during the period of unrest.
"If you know a law enforcement officer, go today and thank them," Noem said. "Cook their family a meal, go support them, and go talk about it on social media or go have their backs."
Madison is a production assistant for Fox News Digital on the Flash team.
