Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem on Friday said her agency has identified two alleged “criminal leakers” who may have thwarted immigration raids.
“We have identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy,” Noem said in a post on X.
The two individuals will be referred for criminal prosecution by the Department of Justice, she said. Noem didn’t say what statute the leakers are accused of violating.
A DOJ spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, while a DHS spokeswoman said the agency didn’t have additional information to offer at this time.
High-level Trump administration officials are under enormous pressure to carry out the president’s “mass deportation” effort. Last month, several top officials began complaining that immigrant round-ups, including of alleged gang members, weren’t delivering the results expected.
They alleged that people with knowledge of law enforcement plans have been leaking sensitive details ahead of the raids.
Border Czar Tom Homan told Fox News in early February that alleged members of a Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, in Aurora, Colorado, were “tipped off” by government insiders ahead of a Feb. 5 raid.
“We think it’s coming from inside,” Homan said. “You’re not only giving the bad guys a heads-up so they can escape apprehension… you’re putting officers’ lives at risk.”
The Aurora operation targeted more than 100 people, but an immigrant rights group told USA TODAY it was only able to track five detentions. ICE declined to comment on the number of arrests.
Homeland Security agencies and others have ramped up social media content since President Donald Trump took office, frequently posting videos of raids. Noem has posted videos of herself in a bulletproof vest, on location for immigration arrests.
During his first month in office, Trump deported 37,660 people, Reuters reported in February, below the monthly average of 57,000 removals in the last full year of Biden’s administration.
In a video statement on X, Noem appeared to indicate the alleged leakers were working for the Department of Homeland Security, which is the parent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We will find and root out all leakers,” she wrote. “They will face prison time & we will get justice for the American people.”
