Kristi Noem Celebrates Low Illegal Apprehensions at U.S. Border

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared Monday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) encountered just 200 aliens at the southern border on Saturday, the lowest single apprehension day in over 15 years.

Speaking with Greta Van Susteren on NewsMax, Kristi Noem credited an advertisement run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) telling illegal immigrants to leave the country or face deportation for its success. Noem herself also thanked President Donald Trump for securing the border and putting America first.

In the video, Noem warned illegal immigrants who did not self-deport and were subsequently caught by DHS would not be allowed to return to the United States. She also called former politicians who left the border wide open "weak", which Noem says "flooded our communities with drugs, human trafficking, and violent criminals."

"We just broke a record in the lowest number of encounters at the southern border, 200, in one day," Noem said to Van Susteren."Where Joe Biden there were 15,000 a day, so it's been amazing what they ads and what President Trump has already done."

Noem also mentioned that the advertisements were being aired in the Middle East and Central America to deter migrants from trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

"Stay where you are. Don't come here. America is not open at our borders anymore. That we put Americans first and this president is going to make America stronger," Noem added.

Since President Donald Trump took office, illegal border crossing apprehensions have drastically dropped.

Just last week, apprehensions at the Texas border were as follows:

• El Paso Sector - 75
• Rio Grande Valley Sector - 33
• Laredo Sector - 12
• Del Rio Sector - 50
• Big Bend Sector - 2

Earlier this month, Fox News's Bill Melugin noted that DHS officials recorded an average of 132 known gotaways per day at the southern border, a 93% decrease from the highs under former President Joe Biden during fiscal year (FY) 2023.

For context, the Biden administration recorded a whopping 670,674 known gotaways in FY 2023 alone or about 1800 per day. The number was also over 600,000 in FY 2022 and nearly 400,000 in FY 2021.

Going back to FY 2010, the number of illegal apprehensions was greater than 100,000 in all but FY 2011.

Noem was confirmed as the 8th Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by the United States Senate in a 59-34 vote back in January.

“As the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, I will work every day to keep all Americans safe and secure. One of my top priorities is achieving President Trump’s mandate from the American people to secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system," Noem said on her confirmation.