US President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in New York City on Tuesday for an immigration enforcement operation, arresting several individuals as part of the administration’s intensified crackdown. Noem shared a video and photos on X, showcasing the arrest of a suspect and reinforcing the administration’s stance on making streets safer.
Since his inauguration, Trump has enacted several executive orders aimed at deporting record numbers of undocumented migrants, responding to what he calls an “invasion” of the US under President Joe Biden’s leadership. Critics, however, argue that Trump’s actions could harm businesses and tear families apart.
In his first week in office, Trump reversed Biden-era policies, including limiting arrests of non-criminal migrants and restricting enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals. He also increased the number of arrests to 1,000–1,200 per day, compared to a daily average of 311 during fiscal year 2024.
The administration has been accused of setting arrest quotas for ICE officers, though White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied these claims, calling them “fake news” and asserting that the focus is on deporting violent criminals.
The New York operation involved ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division, which typically targets transnational crime like human trafficking and drug smuggling, as well as the DEA. Trump’s orders have directed HSI agents to focus on immigration enforcement, with about 300 agents reassigned to the task.
New York Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the city coordinated with federal authorities in the arrest of an individual wanted for violent crimes in both New York and Aurora, Colorado. The individual, Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, faced charges related to first-degree burglary and menacing with a firearm.
