Secretary Noem Makes History in First 200 Days in Office

From securing 16 international agreements to revolutionizing safe travel and securing the U.S. southern border to historic levels, Secretary Noem has been working around the clock to make America safe

WASHINGTON – In her first 200 days on the job, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is hard at work delivering on President Trump’s promise of making America safe again. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS has secured the border, arrested and removed thousands of criminal aliens, safeguarded U.S. cyber infrastructure, protected America’s leaders, deterred terrorism, achieved historic international agreements and kept Americans safe.

Below are just some of Secretary Noem’s accomplishments from her 200 Days:

Secured the Southern Border to Historic Levels

• Daily Southwest Border encounters have plunged by 93% since President Trump took office.
• Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has located over 13,000 unaccompanied children.
• Migrants are turning BACK before they even reach our border—migration through Panama’s Darien Gap is down 99.98%.
• President Trump and Secretary Noem—with $46.5 billion from the Big Beautiful Bill Act—are finishing the border wall. DHS already has more than 85 miles either planned or under construction with funding from the prior year, in addition to hundreds of miles that are now planned to be funded by the bill. President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill also includes over $5 billion for new technology and border surveillance.
• In June, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had the lowest number of nationwide encounters in CBP history at 24,628.
• The number of nationwide apprehensions in July was also a historic low of just 6,177.   
  • Notably, on July 20 Border Patrol recorded only 116 apprehensions nationwide—the lowest single-day total in agency history.
• In May, June and July, U.S. Border Patrol reported zero parole releases—reinforcing the Administration’s commitment to ending catch-and-release policies.
• The Coast Guard has surged assets to increase operational presence in key areas and protect America's maritime borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty-- including TRIPLING its forces operating on the southern border and coordinating surface and air presence with partners to detect, deter, and interdict alien and drug smuggling ventures. 

Removed the Worst of the Worst Illegal Aliens

• The Trump Administration empowered our brave men and women in law enforcement to enforce the law and do their jobs.
• DHS returned to using the term “illegal alien” which is the statutory language. President Trump will not allow political correctness to hinder law enforcement.
• The Trump administration arrested more than 352,000 illegal aliens and removed more than 324,000.
• 70% of ICE arrests are criminal illegal aliens with criminal charges or convictions in the U.S.   
• DHS has partnered with the State of Florida on Alligator Alcatraz, and the State of Indiana on the Speedway Slammer to expand detention space. These partnerships give the Trump administration the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered the country illegally under the previous administration. These new facilities expand facility and bed space by the thousands.
• President Trump and Secretary Noem empowered state and local law enforcement to get these criminal illegal aliens off our streets. DHS has secured nearly 900 signed agreements with state and local partnerships under 287(g).    
  • Operation Tidal Wave, the first 287(g) enforcement operation coordinated with state and federal law enforcement partners, resulted in over 800 arrests.
• At the direction of President Trump, CBP and ICE began widescale immigration enforcement operations in sanctuary city Los Angeles and southern California. In total, since June 6, DHS arrested 4,481 illegal aliens in the Los Angeles area.
• In July, federal law enforcement officers executed criminal warrant operations at marijuana grow sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo. At least 14 migrant children have been rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor and human trafficking. Federal officers also arrested at least 361 illegal aliens from both sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo.
• After weeks of delays by activist judges, the Department of Homeland Security finally deported eight barbaric, violent criminal illegal aliens to South Sudan.
• DHS launched Defend the Homeland; a historic nationwide campaign aimed at recruiting Americans to join ICE and help President Trump and Secretary Noem remove criminal illegal aliens. Since the campaign took off, ICE has received more than 100,000 applications.

Delivering Justice for Victims of Illegal Immigration

• President Trump and Secretary Noem reopened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office, which was shuttered by the Biden Administration. President Trump and Secretary Noem are standing up for the victims of illegal alien crime and ensuring they have access to much needed resources and support they deserve.    

Incentivizing Historic Self-Deportations

• 1.6 million illegal immigrants have left the United States population. This means safer streets, taxpayer savings, pressure off of schools and hospital services, and better job opportunities for Americans.
• President Trump ended the CBP One app that allowed more than one million aliens to illegally enter the U.S. The Trump Administration replaced this disastrous program with the CBP Home app, which has a new self-deportation reporting feature for aliens illegally in the country.
• President Trump launched Project Homecoming through a presidential EO. The United States is also offering any illegal alien who uses the CBP Home App a stipend of $1,000 dollars, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app.
• In addition to offering CBP Home, DHS announced illegal aliens who self-deport through the app will receive forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart the United States. DHS also made CBP Home more user friendly by eliminating certain steps and making it easier than ever for illegal aliens to self-deport.
• DHS and DOJ are enforcing our immigration laws and fining illegal aliens who do not depart when they are supposed to. So far, nearly 10,000 fine notices have been issued by ICE.  

Restoring Integrity to America’s Legal Immigration System

• President Trump ended the broad abuse of humanitarian parole and returned the program to a case-by-case basis. As part of this effort, Secretary Noem terminated the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela parole programs.
  • Under the Biden Administration, this CHNV political scheme allowed hundreds of thousands of unvetted aliens to circumvent the traditional parole process. Known terrorists, gang members, convicted murderers, have all entered this country “legally” under this program.
• Following victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, DHS began sending termination notices in June, informing the illegal aliens both their parole is terminated, and their parole-based employment authorization is revoked – effective immediately.
• DHS has returned the Temporary Protected Status immigration program to its original status: temporary. TPS was never intended to be a de facto asylum program.
  • No longer will this program be abused and exploited by illegal aliens. Secretary Noem ended the TPS designations of the previous administration for Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Nepali Cameroon, and Afghanistan.
• DHS and USCIS initiated an overhaul of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to eliminate transaction fees for participating state, local, territorial, and tribal government users, streamline mass alien status checks, and integrate criminal records, immigration timelines, and addresses into results. This will help prevent aliens from exploiting taxpayer-funded public benefits or voting illegally.
• Secretary Noem began terminating Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification—meaning Harvard would no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status—for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.
• It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from higher tuition to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard University repeatedly abused this privilege and even stonewalled DHS’s request for information.   

Secured Historic Partnerships with Other Nations to Make America Safer

• In 200 days, Secretary Noem has signed 16 agreements with other countries that advance President Trump’s agenda of making America safe. These agreements include:
  • Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Memorandum of Cooperation with El Salvador to ensure fugitives are not inadvertently released back into Salvadoran communities.
  • Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) Letter of Intent with Colombia to provide a real-time exchange and query of biometric and biographic information against U.S. data holdings.
  • Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) Letter of Intent with Colombia to enable a streamlined process for obtaining travel documents.
  • Reaffirmation of the Air Cargo Data Sharing Memorandum of Understanding with Mexico to share air cargo data between CBP and the Mexican National Customs Agency and Mexican Customs Agency.
  • Global Entry Joint Letter of Intent with El Salvador to facilitate entry of a foreign country's citizens into the U.S. for tourism and eligible business purposes.
  • Repatriation Assistance Pilot Program Memorandum of Understanding extension with Panama to provide an additional $7.2M in support for removals of illegal migrants, especially facilitating support to Panama in managing reverse flows.
  • Global Entry Joint Letter of Intent with Costa Rica facilitate entry of a foreign country's citizens into the U.S. for tourism and eligible business purposes.
  • Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) Letter of Intent with Honduras to provide a real-time exchange and query of biometric and biographic information against U.S. data holdings.
  • Joint Security Program (JSP) Memorandum of Understanding with Guatemala to formalize the Joint Security Program in Guatemala which started in February 2024. CBP through the Joint Security Program has worked alongside Guatemalan partners at La Aurora International Airport to strengthen the security of the global travel network by preventing high-risk travelers from boarding U.S.-bound and foreign-to-foreign flights with thorough targeting, threat assessments, and face-to-face interviews.
  • 2026 FIFA World Cup Letter of Intent with Qatar to share of lessons learned from prior World Cup between the U.S. government and Qatari government.
  • Biometric Data Sharing Partnership (BDSP) Memorandum of Cooperation with Belize to provide a real-time exchange and query of biometric and biographic information against U.S. data holdings.
  • Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) Letter of Intent with Argentina to enable a streamlined process for obtaining travel documents to support repatriation of Argentine nationals from the United States.
  • Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Memorandum of Cooperation with Argentina to facilitate the sharing of criminal history information so that fugitives are not inadvertently released back into Argentine communities.
  • Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Statement of Intent for Cooperation with Argentina.
  • Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Letter of Intent with Chile to Provides temporary legal coverage for the Government of Chile to continue the pilot program with BITMAP enrollments by Ministry of Public Security entities (PDI and Carabineros) as well as expand the program for Ministry of Justice (Prison system).  An implementing arrangement is still being negotiated and will need to be signed before April 2026.
  • Joint Arrangement to Facilitate the Exchange of Liaison Personnel with Ecuador to enable the assignment of an Ecuadorian National Police liaison at the CBP National Targeting Center in Virginia.

Initiating a Golden Age in American Air Travel

• Secretary Noem terminated the politically motivated Quiet Skies Program, which since its existence has failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year. The program, under the guise of “national security,” was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies.
• TSA ended the “shoes-off” travel policy, allowing passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints—while maintaining the same high standard of security. This change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience.
• TSA launched specialized security lanes at select airports for military service members and for traveling families. These initiatives are part of DHS’s overall goal to enhance hospitality and security for the American traveler.
• The Trump administration fully implemented REAL ID enforcement measures nationwide—a law signed 20 years ago. REAL ID helps ensure that travelers are who they say they are and prevents fraud by criminals, terrorists, and illegal aliens. Most travelers have not even noticed a difference because nearly 94% of travelers are already REAL ID compliant.
• Secretary Noem took action to end collective bargaining for the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Transportation Security Officers, which constrained TSA’s chief mission to safeguard our transportation systems.
  • Prior to Secretary Noem’s ending of collective bargaining: 86% of airports had MORE TSOs performing full-time union work than performing security screening.

Fixing Disaster Relief for the 21st Century

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency is now shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens. The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades.
• President Trump has established the FEMA Review Council to provide recommendations on how to best conduct disaster relief at the federal level.
  • Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the FEMA Review Council is developing a comprehensive plan for necessary change.
• DHS has empowered state and local governments to lead disaster relief efforts without interference from the federal government.
• DHS has provided FEMA the ability to provide upfront disaster funds to both Texas and New Mexico for disaster recovery efforts speeding up the state’s abilities to address debris removal, evacuation and congregate sheltering services, and provide lifesaving and life-sustaining supplies and commodities to the impacted communities.
• DHS accelerated debris removal efforts in California. The majority of properties have now been cleared of debris. Nearly 92% of debris removal is fully complete while 98% of properties have been cleared.
• At Secretary Noem’s direction, FEMA has conducted a critical evaluation of all grant programs and recipients to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and deliver accountability for the American taxpayer.
• Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, recipients of FEMA grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to house illegal immigrants at luxury hotels, fund climate change pet projects, or empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don’t serve the interest of the American people.

Provided Rapid and Effective Support to Flood Victims in Texas

• Within moments of the flooding in Texas, DHS assets, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), CBP Border Search, CBP BORSTAR, and FEMA personnel surged into unprecedented action alongside Texas first responders for search and rescue operations.
• The Coast Guard’s Rescue Swimmer, Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, in coordination with the air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christie saved nearly 200 lives in response to the Texas Floods. Over the past 200 days, the Coast Guard had a total of 8,492 search and rescues, saved or assisted 12,801 lives and saved over $375M in property.
• FEMA deployed 311 staffers delivering critical intelligence, aerial imagery, and shelter for 171 survivors.
• Combined state and federal rescue efforts evacuated and rescued over 1,500 people.
  • Deployed over 300 Coast Guardsmen.
  • Surged four Coast Guard cutters to support response and recovery operations.
  • Surged response boats from six Coast Guard stations: Washington, Curtis Bay, Annapolis, St. Inigoes, Oxford, and Crisfield.

Getting the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency Back on Mission

• Under the Biden Administration, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) censored free speech and targeted Americans.
• Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s direction, DHS closed CISA’s politically weaponized offices and fired those responsible for abusing their power.
• CISA is now back on-mission: Protecting Americans and critical infrastructure from cyberthreats.
• CISA personnel are deployed across 10 regions in support of all 56 states/territories and is actively working with local, federal, and international partners to identify emerging threats and issue alerts, advisories or provide guidance to mitigate these threats. It has issued 6 major advisories since April that enable operational collaboration.
• CISA works to support cyber defenders with the tools they need to secure their cyber systems. This summer it released the Eviction Strategies Tool, a no-cost resource designed to support cyber defenders, and Thorium, an automated, scalable malware and forensic analysis platform.
• On Aug 1, CISA and FEMA announced the availability of over $100 million in cybersecurity grant funding to strengthen state, local and tribal government community cybersecurity.
• Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, CISA has issued more than 700 pre-ransomware notifications, cataloged 131 known exploited vulnerabilities and partnered with  57 new software companies bringing the number of companies who have pledged to build more secure software to 319.

Championed Strategic Advancements in Law Enforcement Training to Enhance Border Security and Immigration Enforcement

• Secured historic funding for law enforcement training. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is providing the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) with $750 million, more than doubling its annual resources, to enhance the training and readiness of U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel.
• Expanded nationwide law enforcement collaboration by facilitating ICE’s 287(g) Training Program. To date, 12,024 officers across 39 states have registered and 8,192 have completed the training, strengthening partnerships between federal and local law enforcement agencies.
• Trained nearly 2,000 newly hired USBP, CBP, and ICE officers and agents since January 20, 2025, ensuring operational readiness and rapid deployment of a trained workforce to critical national security missions.
• Achieved record-breaking training—the highest attendance levels since 2007—by supporting over 1,000 USBP trainees daily at FLETC in Artesia, New Mexico, and demonstrating a commitment to scaling operations to meet growing security demands.

Revitalizing the U.S. Coast Guard

• When President Trump came back into office, the Coast Guard faced its greatest readiness crisis since World War II because the Biden Administration left it underfunded and neglected. President Trump’s order to surge Coast Guard assets to our maritime border changed the game.
• Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, the Coast Guard is being revitalized to meet the various security challenges of the 21^st century and keep America’s maritime borders secure for decades to come.
• In the first seven months of the Trump Administration, the Coast Guard seized more than double the cocaine and other illegal drugs than during the entirety of 2024. The Coast Service removed 289,467 lbs. of cocaine, 31,942 lbs. of marijuana, 5,952 lbs. of other illicit drugs, and detained 261 drug traffickers.
• The Coast Guard enhanced its immigration enforcement mission executing asset deployments and tripled its operationally deployed units along the southern border and maritime approaches. This resulted in following Illegal Alien Statistics.
  • Interdicted 1140
  • Transferred 717
  • Repatriated 423
  • Deterred 126
• For the first time in years, the Coast Guard expects to exceed its recruiting goals. As of August 12, 2025, the Coast Guard recruited over 5,220 new members into the active-duty enlisted workforce.
• In FY 2025, the Coast Guard expects to access nearly 700 more active-duty enlisted members than the previous year.
• For the first time in 25 years, the Coast Guard, under Secretary Noem’s leadership has the ability to expand the Nation’s high latitude operations and presence in the Arctic.
• Through the acquisition of additional polar icebreakers and fast response cutters (FRC) such as the recently commissioned CGC Storis and FRC Cunningham, the Nation has ensured access to protect U.S. sovereignty and national security. Nearly $8 billion will be dedicated to this mission.
• Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the Coast Guard is launching “Force Design 2028,” a revolutionary new blueprint that will make the Coast Guard more agile, more capable, and more responsive than ever before.
• Force Design 2028 is the Coast Guard’s roadmap to become a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force to best serve the American people. With unprecedented support and momentum from the President, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Congress, we are seizing the opportunity now to renew the Coast Guard for the future.
  • It will drive much needed changes to transform the Service’s: (1) Organization; (2) Contracting and Acquisition; (3) Technology; and (4) People.

Standing up for the American taxpayer

• The United States Coast Guard (USCG) eliminated an ineffective information technology (IT) program, saving nearly $33 million, and is now focusing resources where they’re most needed to protect our homeland.
• USCG partially terminated a wasteful Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG), which has been slow to deliver four OPCs, harming U.S. defense capabilities.
• The Trump Administration stopped aliens on the Terror Watchlist from receiving Medicaid benefits.     
• Secretary Noem cancelled CISA’s expensive headquarters project, saving taxpayers over half a billion dollars.
• The Coast Guard partially terminated a wasteful Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG), which has been slow to deliver four OPCs, harming U.S. defense capabilities.
• The Coast Guard made a fiscally responsible move that saves taxpayers $260 million, through the cancellation of the planned eleventh National Security Cutter (NSC-11) acquisition. This decision, driven by budgetary realities, is projected to yield substantial cost savings and allows for potential reallocation of resources to other Coast Guard priorities.
• To stop policies that were magnets for illegal immigration, DHS froze funding to non-governmental organizations that facilitate illegal immigration and announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure taxpayer dollars do not go to housing illegal aliens.

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