An illegal immigrant who was trying to sweet talk Kristi Noem while he was under arrest was instead hit with a harsh warning that he would never be allowed back in the country.
The Secretary of Homeland Security got confused when the migrant spoke to her in Spanish.
He said ‘La e mirao en la tele’, which translates roughly to ‘I’ve seen you on TV’, but Noem misinterpreted and instead thought he was asking to be ‘let out’ as he sat handcuffed in the back of an ICE car.
‘Let you out? No. Not let you out. You’re under arrest,’ she told him, as the smile faded from the man’s face.
Her message was translated to Spanish as Noem continued to rant against the man and his brother, who were both placed under arrest for being in the United States illegally.
When video of the interaction was shared on X by conservative commentator Nick Sortor, it was inundated with messages from Spanish speakers who explained that Noem had been mistaken, and that the man was actually trying to ‘sweet talk’ her.
‘He was actually saying ”I’ve seen her on tv,” not ”Let me stay”,’ one critic said.
‘He was star struck. That’s why he was smiling at first.’
The smiling man appeared to ask Noem to ‘let me out’ in the footage, filmed by conservative commentator Nick Sortor , but translators have since argued he was actually noting he had ‘seen her on the tele[vision]’
Kristi Noem has delivered a sharp warning to illegal immigrants all over America as she participated in an arrest this week
The man refused to make any further comment, prompting Noem to move on to speak with his brother, who had also been arrested.
‘That is a criminal charge in this country, to be here illegally. You waited until we detained you, so now you will be removed from this country, and you will never have the chance to come back. Do you have family here besides your brother?’
She later revealed she had been taking part in an operation targeting the immigrant’s brother, who was also in the country illegally but ‘had criminal convictions’ relating to ID theft.
‘He is detained because he is in this country illegally as well,’ she said.
Noem had a message directly for illegal migrants who are still in America and have so far avoided detection, warning them: ‘If you care about your family, go home. Go home now.
‘If you deport now, if you’re in this country illegally and leave on your own, you may get the chance to come back to the United States again someday.
‘But if you wait until we detain you, you will never, ever get the chance to come to America again.’
Sortor incredulously asked if the man truly believed asking to be let go would ‘work’ on ICE agents.
Noem was in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday to meet with law enforcement officials regarding protests
ICE has been ramping up operations across the country as Trump seeks to crack down on immigrants
Noem has been mocked in the comments of the video, shared to X, as Spanish speakers noted she had misunderstood what the man was trying to say.
‘I wish he said that. But he didn’t. He said. ”La e mirado en la tele” means I have seen her on tv,’ a second added.
It comes amid revelations ICE plans to use a hub in Vermont to bolster its digital surveillance capabilities as the agency ramps up operations across the country to reflect Trump’s anti-immigration agenda.
Under the latest plans, a contractor would use sites such as Facebook, Instagram and X — and could, in addition, use powerful online commercial, law enforcement and federal government databases — to generate leads about ‘individuals who pose a danger to national security, risk public safety or otherwise meet ICE enforcement priorities.’
Details collected could include people’s social media posts and the locations tagged in them, according to the plans.
The contractor could also be asked to find information about targeted people’s ‘associates,’ including family members and coworkers, for the purpose of determining someone’s whereabouts, the plans from last week state.
The agency is spending millions of dollars on an advertising blitz to increase staffing numbers as Trump seeks to expand arresting capabilities.
‘You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe,’ the narrator says in the advertisement as images of the cities targeted and ICE agents arresting people move across the screen.
Noem has been mocked for misunderstanding the man, who was speaking Spanish
ICE plans to use a hub in Vermont to bolster its digital surveillance capabilities as the agency ramps up operations across the country to reflect Trump’s anti-immigration agenda
‘But in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free.’
The campaign — airing in more than a dozen cities, including Chicago, Seattle and Atlanta — is part of ICE’s $30 billion initiative to hire 10,000 more deportation officers by the end of the year to supercharge deportations.
The money is part of the $76.5 billion sought by the Trump administration for ICE — a 10-fold increase in its current budget — as part of the sweeping, multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts bill enacted in July.
ICE is already offering bonuses of up to $50,000 for new recruits and other benefits such as tuition reimbursement as it seeks to fast-track hiring.
