Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem talks briefly with reporters after attending a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short and February 26, 2025 at 10:51am
An effective immigration policy tackles the issue of illegal immigration on two fronts — deportation of illegals and deterrents for would-be illegals.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem addresses both in an ad campaign released on Feb. 17.
That day, the DHS released two videos. In the first, Noem warned illegals aliens currently in the United States, saying, “President Trump has a clear message for those that are in our country illegally: Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you, and we will deport you. You will never return.”
After telling viewers that weak immigration policy led to drug and human trafficking and violent criminals in the United States, Noem stated, “Those days are over.”
Noem indicated that those who self-deport “may have an opportunity to return,” but ultimately, “the choice is yours.”
A second video was released addressing an international audience, speaking to anyone thinking about coming to the United States illegally.
“Let me deliver a message from President Trump to the world: If you are considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it.
“If you come to our country and you break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States,” Noem stated.
The DHS news release included information about how these ads would be used to get the Trump administration’s message out.
Will this ad be effective?
“This series of ads will run on radio, broadcast, and digital, in multiple countries and regions in various dialects. Ads will be hyper-targeted, including through social media, text message and digital to reach illegal immigrants in the interior of the United States, as well as internationally,” it read.
In both videos, Noem spoke with a clear vision and level of confidence totally unfounded during the Biden administration.
Recall former border czar and Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech in June 2021 in Guatemala, where she addressed those would-be criminals looking to cross the border.
Harris — in a shaky and weak tone — made a plea, saying repeatedly, “Do not come.”
“The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border,” she added. After saying “legal methods” exist to enter the country, Harris proceeded to give an uninspired and undefined vision for how illegal immigration would be handled.
“We, as one of our priorities, will discourage illegal migration. And I believe if you come to our border, you will be turned back.”
Watching Noem speak on the issue and then immediately watching Harris shows the vast contrast in the two.
The results for the Biden administration speak for themselves, with record numbers of illegal border crossings during that term. Words like “discourage” and “believe” people will be “turned back” did not stop anyone.
Perhaps if she had spoken with more resolve in that moment, innocent Americans like Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray would still be alive today.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.
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