An illegal immigrant detained by ICE agents was captured on video pleading with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to let him go — a desperate tactic that may have worked under the previous Biden administration but not anymore.
In the footage, the man can be heard begging as agents prepare to transport him. Noem, standing firm, reportedly responded:
“You waited until we detained you, so now you will be removed from this country and never get the chance to come back.”
The exchange reflects Noem’s tough-on-border stance, part of the Trump administration’s renewed immigration enforcement policy. Noem has made clear that those who self-deport voluntarily may eventually qualify to return legally — but those who wait until ICE captures them will be permanently banned from reentry.
“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,” Noem reiterated in a statement earlier this week.
“But if you wait until we detain you, you will never, ever get the chance to come to America again.”
The message marks a sharp contrast to the lax border policies under Joe Biden, when millions of illegal immigrants were released into the interior. Under Trump’s second term, federal and state law enforcement are now executing mass deportations, signaling a zero-tolerance era for illegal crossings.
