Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lashed out at a federal judge’s recent decision to restrict certain immigration enforcement actions in California, accusing the judiciary of overstepping its role and injecting politics into law enforcement.
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Noem responded to Friday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong — a Biden appointee — which issued two temporary restraining orders. The orders bar federal officials from targeting immigrants based on race, language, or employment, and require access to legal counsel for detained individuals.
“This federal judge’s ruling is ridiculous,” Noem said. “We never ran our operations that way.”
She accused members of the judiciary of becoming politicized and stepping outside their constitutional role.
“We’ve seen this across the country — judges getting political. That’s not their job,” Noem said. “We need to bring dignity back to the bench because many federal judges are undermining that standard.”
The ruling, which effectively restricts the Trump administration’s stepped-up ICE enforcement in parts of California, was hailed by immigrant rights groups as a victory. But Noem flatly rejected the judge’s reasoning.
“ICE does not target based on race, language, or where someone works. That’s simply false,” she said. “We’re going to appeal, and we will win — because this decision is wrong.”
Noem defended current enforcement efforts as consistent with long-standing law enforcement protocols.
“ICE is focused on getting dangerous individuals off the streets. That’s how it’s always been done,” she said.
Her remarks followed a separate Fox News appearance by Trump border czar Tom Homan, who also dismissed due process concerns, stating that federal immigration agents do not need probable cause for brief detentions.
“Agents can stop someone based on articulable facts — their location, their behavior, their occupation, their appearance,” Homan told Fox & Friends.
His comments come amid rising tensions in Los Angeles and other California communities following a surge in ICE raids, which have sparked protests and legal challenges from local leaders and civil rights groups.
