Noem says Trump administration is 'on offense,' using 'every single tool that we have' to protect Americans

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that "we are connected offense" arsenic the Trump medication "is utilizing each azygous instrumentality that we have to protect the American people." 

Noem made the remark successful New York City aft hailing the results of Operation Salvo, which was launched successful the aftermath of an onslaught connected an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cause determination past July.  

Noem said an probe into that incidental revealed that the "scumbags" down it are linked to the "notorious" Trinitarios transgression pack successful New York and were "protected up until that constituent by sanctuary metropolis policies." 

"Operation Salvo is conscionable the opening of a broader and a overmuch much sustained effort to spell aft not lone transnational transgression organizations and networks, but besides amerciable transgression aliens passim the country," Noem declared.

TWO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTS INDICTED ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES IN CBP OFFICER SHOOTING CASE IN NYC

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a property league successful New York City, connected Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.  (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

"We are connected offense. The Trump medication is utilizing each azygous instrumentality that we have to protect the American people. Sanctuary policies, whether they're here successful New York City, whether they're in California, Illinois or Minneapolis, if you are a transgression amerciable alien, we are coming to get you," she added. 

"We volition apprehension you, we volition bring justice, and we volition besides bring information to the American people. We are informing anyone if you deliberation you tin harm an individual, a national of the United States, oregon a instrumentality enforcement officer, we volition find you and bring you to justice," Noem continued. 

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Cristian Aybar Berroa, left, and Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, were arrested pursuing the shooting of an off-duty CBP serviceman successful New York City successful July 2025. (Department of Homeland Security)

"If you laic a digit connected 1 of our officers, we volition catch you, we volition prosecute you, and you volition consciousness the afloat grade of the law. In every azygous thing the Trump medication does, we enactment the American radical first," she besides said.

Noem told reporters that 54 individuals person been taken into custody arsenic a effect of Operation Salvo, which progressive coordination from CBP, Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, national prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and the New York County District Attorney's Office. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives astatine a property conference, connected Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, successful New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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"Those arrested are convulsive transnational pack members and affiliates associated with Trinitarios, who are liable for weapons trafficking, for quality smuggling, for narcotics organisation and for equipped robberies," she added. "They had perpetuated previous violent attacks crossed the metropolis of New York City. We person already removed not only, many, galore of these individuals that we person arrested, but implicit 60% of them have been returned back to their location countries to look justness for their crimes determination arsenic well."