DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accuses Illinois leaders of being 'obstructionist' in Chicago area visit

LOMBARD, Ill. (WLS) -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem spoke in the Chicago area Friday.

Dozens of protestors gathered outside the DHS building in Lombard over the presence of Secretary Noem, who made a brief visit to criticize Illinois politicians and brag about the successes of ICE

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Protesters lined the street as Noem's motorcade pulled into Lombard's DHS field office, holding signs and chanting.

Inside the building, the secretary stood behind confiscated firearms, 20 kilograms of fentanyl and money, which were all confiscated from Illinois. Next to her were also the pictures of four men from Mexico, Micronesia, Honduras and Poland, allegedly arrested by ICE officials in Illinois for different crimes. Noem said they are some of the "worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."

She touted President Donald Trump's leadership, claiming for the first time in the past three months no people crossed the border illegally into the United States.

Noem also criticized Illinois political leadership at the state and local levels, specifically Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson over sanctuary city laws.

"I am here today because the elected leaders in this state of Illinois, are ignoring the law, in fact they're being obstructionist when it comes to getting dangerous criminals off their streets," Secretary Noem said. "They're deciding that dangerous criminals that are murderers, rapists, money launderers, have committed assault, that are trafficking children are more important than the families that live in the communities here."

Noem maintains over 70% of the individuals arrested by ICE have pending or criminal convictions against them. Those numbers are strongly disputed by immigration groups.

"We know from our hotline and for talking, from talking to our community partners, that the breadth of their operation is wide, and that the people who that the people that ice is abducting and taking are our neighbors and community members," said Brandon Lee with Illinois Coaltion for Immigrant Rights.

"Nobody is getting swept up, we are running targeting enforcement operations across the country and using our case files and information to know who is a criminal in this country that needs to be removed," Noem said.

Noem's visit to Chicago comes days after she announced the State of Indiana is partnering with DHS to expand ICE detention space at the so-called "Speedway Slammer." Noem said the state's adding an additional 1,000 beds to the Miami Correctional Facility in north central Indiana dedicated for people allegedly in the country illegally who commit crimes.

To boost numbers, the Trump administration is hiring 10,000 new ICE officers. Noem says she plans to expedite the training process for people with law enforcement experience. She already announced the department is lowering the hiring age to 18.

"We have had that open for less than eight we have over 80,000 applicants for those jobs," Noem said.

The protesters said they refuse to let ICE agents terrorize Illinois communities.

"We are not going to back down, we are going o make sure our immigrants, everyone across the community in DuPage County feel safe and welcomed," DuPage County Board Member Andrew Honig said.

Secretary Noem's press conference lasted about 20 minutes, but protesters were out a lot longer and promised they would be back for her next Illinois visit.

Democratic Illinois 6th District Congressman Sean Casten said in a statement, "Kristi Noem's racism and xenophobia have no place in Illinois' 6th Congressional District. Her failures at the Department of Homeland Security harm American families and will have lasting, negative ripple effects on the American economy. The only reason she has her job is because she is so doggone terrified of anyone who does not look like her that she will eagerly forsake the Constitution anytime Donald Trump asks."

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office shared the following statement:
"Kristi Noem's visit to Chicago is an attempt to stoke fear and division in our communities and only serves to undermine the trust our administration has been working to rebuild between law enforcement and our residents. As violent crime continues to decline in the city of Chicago its critical that, no matter their immigration status, Chicagoans feel safe contacting and interacting with police officers. Divisive political stunts like this make our communities less safe.
"Mayor Johnson has been unequivocal: In Chicago we follow the law. We don't harbor criminal, we arrest them. But we will not be a tool for militarized mass deportations. In carrying out this campaign of fear and division the federal administration has repeatedly violated the Constitution, denied people due process, and separated hardworking families who are integral to our neighborhoods. What Secretary Noem's DHS is doing is not accountability. It's mass targeting, fearmongering, and it undermines our work to ensure every Chicagoan can feel safe in our city.
"Chicago stands firm. We have a moral obligation to stand up for the hard-working families who are being targeted and forced to live in fear. We will always uphold the laws of our city and our state while defending our immigrant communities from extralegal attacks by this out of control administration.