This is 2026. This is America. Are you paying attention yet? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may ask some Americans to verify their citizenship during enforcement actions, describing the practice as limited to specific circumstances tied to ongoing operations.
“In every situation we are doing targeted enforcement,” Noem told reporters outside the White House when asked about reports from Minnesota involving U.S. citizens being questioned. She said encounters can extend beyond a single suspect. “If we are on a target, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and why they’re there and having them validate their identity,” Noem added.
Her weird remarks come amid heightened friction at immigration operations, particularly where demonstrators or legal observers have followed agents. The issue intensified after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, whom city leaders said was present as a legal observer during an ICE operation. The Trump administration has disputed that account, labeling Good an agitator. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt referred to her as a “deranged lunatic,” while officials also described her as a “radical.”
The comments intersect with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last January requiring immigrants to carry documentation proving lawful status, such as visas or green cards. The directive relies on the Alien Registration Act, a long standing law that mandates proof of status and allows civil or criminal penalties for noncompliance. While the statute has existed for decades, enforcement has varied over time.
Civil liberties advocates and some political figures have questioned whether these tactics risk discriminatory application and reflect a broader shift in federal authority.
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