Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem Criticized For Frequent ‘Insensitive’ Publicity Stunts

Baila Eve ZismanApril 11, 2025, 1:49 amNews >

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced backlash for a 33-second promotional video she posted from an El Salvadoran prison where the Trump Administration has been sending detainees.

The promotional video offered a tour of two crowded cell blocks, where shirtless men calmly stand, never allowed outside.

Donning an Immigration and Customs Enforcement cap and a $50,000 Rolex, Noem said on camera, “If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face.”

Noem refers to the people in the video as “terrorists” despite a lack of evidence of their criminal history. The group includes multiple Venezuelan men who the Trump administration has claimed are gang members.

Noem did not respond to the press’ questions on whether the Venezuelan individuals were staying in the prison indefinitely and if they will eventually be allowed to return to the U.S. She instead emphasized, “Do not come to our country illegally. You will be removed, and you will be prosecuted. But know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”

The White House has been condemned for its publicity stunts making light of the deportations after it has regularly posted A.S.M.R. videos of individuals being deported. These posts, which use various TV and social media techniques, have been criticized as wildly insensitive with a “stylized dystopian vibe.”

Since she took office in January, Noem has been front and center of the immigration crackdown effort. The face of the television campaign warning people in the country illegally to self-deport, Noem has taken part in immigration enforcement operations and ridden horses with Border Patrol agents.

In March, Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which gave him wartime powers and allowed noncitizens to be deported without the right to go before an immigration or federal court judge.