The Trump administration is highlighting what it calls historic gains in immigration enforcement, claiming that nearly three million undocumented immigrants have left the United States within the first year of President Donald Trump’s leadership.
The figures were cited by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, 3rd March, a close ally of the president, as she testified before Congress amid heightened scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
According to statements released by Noem and shared by Republican-aligned accounts, the administration reports that zero undocumented migrants have been released into the U.S. interior for 10 consecutive months. Officials further claim that nearly three million undocumented immigrants have either been deported or voluntarily departed the country during that period.
Also Read: Inside MAGA War as Trump Sends Message to his Once Trusted Allies, Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly
Noem also cited broader public safety outcomes, including what she described as the lowest murder rate in the United States in 125 years and a 56% reduction in fentanyl trafficking at the southern border. The administration has consistently linked its immigration policies to crime reduction and border security, framing enforcement as a central pillar of its domestic agenda.
In remarks attributed to the secretary, Noem said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 1,500 known or suspected terrorists and over 7,700 known gang members since the crackdown intensified. She claimed many of those individuals were permitted to enter the country under the previous administration’s border policies.
“These arrests represent individuals who pose real threats to American communities,” Noem said, emphasizing that DHS has prioritized removals of those with alleged criminal or extremist ties.
The administration has also pointed to efforts to locate unaccompanied migrant children who were reported missing during earlier years of increased border crossings. According to Noem, more than 450,000 unaccompanied children were unaccounted for as a result of what she described as “dangerous open-border policies” under President Joe Biden.
She said that under Trump, DHS, working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services, has located over 145,000 of those children and returned them to family members or guardians.
Also Read: Americans to Receive $2000 From President Trump As Court Makes Major Ruling on Tariffs
The claims came as Noem appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her first testimony since the administration launched a major immigration operation in Minneapolis earlier this year. The hearing, covered live by CBS News, addressed both enforcement outcomes and mounting controversy surrounding DHS operations.
Lawmakers pressed Noem on a series of incidents involving federal immigration agents, including the January shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Senator Dick Durbin challenged Noem over previous statements labeling the individuals involved as “domestic terrorists,” descriptions that were later disputed by video evidence and eyewitness accounts.
Durbin asked the secretary to retract the comments, arguing they caused additional pain to the victims’ families. Noem stopped short of a retraction, saying the situations were chaotic and that she relied on information provided by agents on the ground. She acknowledged that there is “room for improvement” in how information is communicated.
The hearing is taking place against the backdrop of a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been unfunded since mid-February due to a stalemate in Congress over immigration reform and agency funding. Noem called the shutdown “reckless and unnecessary,” warning that it strains critical homeland security functions and affects DHS employees and their families.
Despite the controversy, the Trump administration continues to present its immigration record as one of its defining achievements. Officials argue that strict enforcement, expanded ICE operations, and tighter border controls have produced measurable results in removals, crime reduction, and drug interdiction.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates
