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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Democrats’ border policies during a visit Wednesday to Nogales, Arizona, accusing the left of redefining "compassion" while leaving American communities to deal with crime, chaos and lawlessness.
Standing in front of the southern border wall, Noem discussed Biden-era immigration policies and their impact on the country's overall safety and security.
"The Democrats on the left say that compassion was that invasion, was that humanitarian crisis," Noem said. "But President [Donald] Trump says that compassion is taking care of people. Was it compassionate to make Americans share their communities with criminals? Was it compassionate to encourage men and women and children to break the law and to put their lives at risk, knowing that they could be victimized along the way?"
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Noem's remarks come weeks after anti-immigration enforcement riots broke out following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have continued to accuse the administration of trampling citizens' constitutional rights by targeting minorities and weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding ICE leave the blue state.
Noem also addressed recent violence against federal immigration enforcement agents, questioning Democrats' interpretation of compassion.
"Was it compassionate to demonize those federal law enforcement officers that took an oath to uphold the law and to keep Americans safe," she said. "Democrats dare to harass, threaten and dox our officers, assault the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security … and they try to say that enforcing our immigration laws and arresting and deporting illegal criminals and violent criminals is inhumane. Well, what about the victims of th[ose] illegal crimes?"
Noem added that Americans elected Trump for a second term to restore law and order.
"The beauty of our republic is that our people have the freedom to choose," she said. "When they elected President Trump, they chose differently. They chose someone who recognized that a country with no border is no country at all. A country that doesn't enforce its laws is a lawless country. We had never experienced the kind of chaos before in recent history that we saw during the Biden administration, and the American people rejected it.
"They rejected it and its lawlessness and chose to return to law and order. … We've got a promise of a bright future and a promise of an amazing country for years to come. You have stood up, and stood on the line, to make sure that we have freedom and liberty for our children and our grandchildren for years to come."
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