20250716 TWDHS Episode 21

Hi, I'm Paloma Chapone, press secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. It's been a busy week at DHS, so let's get into it. DHS remains focused on the Americans in Texas after the tragic flooding. Immediate disaster response was swift and efficient. DHS assets, including the US Coast Guard, Border Patrol, and FEMA personnel, surged into heroic action alongside Texas first responders. President Trump and Secretary Gnome have reoriented FEMA away from bureaucratic bloat by empowering state and local officials who know their communities best to allocate resources and provide upfront recovery support. This administration's hearts are with the great strong people of Texas moving critical aid faster than ever before to jumpstart recovery. Meanwhile, we've got a new stat for you and it's not pretty. Unfortunately, both the media and politicians have escalated their anti-ICE rhetoric. So much that ICE and our brave law enforcement are now facing an 830% increase in assaults against them. ICE, HSI, and ERRO agents are risking their lives to remove the worst of the worst, criminal illegal aliens from American communities. We're talking about convicted drug traffickers, child molesters, gang members, and murderers. In California, we found 361 criminal illegal aliens across two marijuana facilities. Brave CBP and ICE agents dodged bullets and violent riers as they rescued 14 children at these drug sites. 10 were unaccompanied and likely trafficked. Now they're in safe hands. But think about this. The men and women of ICE are real people with families and children. They wake up each day to stop the criminals terrorizing our streets, to protect the innocent children caught in the crossfire. Yet, our agents face doxing threats against their spouses, workplaces, and their children's schools as they work to keep our communities safe. Secretary Gnome will never abandon law enforcement. They deserve the gratitude and support of all Americans. DHS has made it clear, anyone who doxes or assaults an ICE officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Secretary Gnome spent the afternoon with the DHS family, gathering with employees across the department to pray, answer questions, highlight accomplishments, and strengthen our shared mission. She reminded us why we do this work, to advance President Trump's number one priority, to make America safe. DHS is on fire, and we're just getting started. And finally, some good news for travelers. Secretary Gnome has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from travelers and TSA employees who are loving the new shoes on policy. We ended an archaic 20-year-old outdated rule and now passengers flying through domestic airports can keep their shoes on while going through TSA checkpoints. We are drastically decreasing passenger weight times and improving the experience all while maintaining the highest standards of security. And that's all for this week. Stay tuned for next week's update.