In summary
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border comes as polls show declining support for President Trump’s immigration policies since the killing of protestors in Minneapolis.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to be in San Diego County Thursday for a high-profile visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, where she is slated to hold a news conference focused on border security and drug enforcement efforts, according to federal officials.
The event, planned for Otay Mesa, is being framed by the Department of Homeland Security as an update on “historic border security and drug seizure efforts” under the current administration. Officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection are expected to attend alongside Noem.
Her visit comes as new polls show declining support for the Trump administration’s border and immigration enforcement tactics following two fatal shootings of protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis. A poll for NBC showed that 49% of Americans strongly disapprove of the administration’s immigration policies. That’s an increase from 38% last summer.
California’s Democratic leaders have consistently condemned the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, which include arrests at courthouses and detentions of immigrants who have not been accused of criminal offenses.
But Noem and others from the Trump administration have countered that California policies, including its so-called sanctuary law, hinder their efforts to deport unauthorized immigrants,
“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said in May when the department published a list of cities and states with sanctuary policies. “We are exposing these sanctuary politicians who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law. President Trump and I will always put the safety of the American people first. Sanctuary politicians are on notice: comply with federal law.”
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security promoted its success stemming the flow of illicit drugs and unauthorized crossings at the southern border, positioning these as major achievements in the Trump administration’s overall security strategy.
Noem’s visit follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trip last week to the San Diego–Otay Mesa corridor last week, where he highlighted law enforcement partnerships, including fentanyl enforcement and federal immigration raids. He contrasted collaborative efforts with the Trump administration’s decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles and other Democratic cities against the wishes of governors and mayors.
Newsom also pointed to a CalMatters investigation that showed immigration arrests in San Diego have quietly surged by 1,500% over last year, “but without the fanfare of what you’re seeing in your living room and on your screen happening in places like Minneapolis.”
The trip also unfolds in the context of several headline-making policy and legal flashpoints involving the Department of Homeland Security.
In Congress, Democratic lawmakers have renewed calls for oversight and, and some have called for impeachment proceedings against Noem over immigration enforcement tactics by agencies under her authority. Democrats in Congress lack the votes to remove Noem.
Noem’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status designations for Venezuelans, Haitians and Somalians — immigrant groups with established communities in San Diego — have faced challenges in federal courts.
San Diego city officials recently filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense of unlawfully installing razor wire fencing on city-owned land near the border. The suit specifically names Secretary Noem as a defendant, asserting environmental and property damage claims.
Conservative influencer Nick Shirley has been circulating through San Diego County in recent weeks, reportedly recording videos in City Heights and near Somali-run child-care centers, provoking statements of concern from state and local officials about harassment and community safety.
Shirley, whose content has drawn millions of views online, has built a following by traveling to border regions and immigrant neighborhoods and portraying them as lawless. Immigrant advocates and local officials say his narratives misrepresent conditions on the ground and inflame tensions.
His video alleging fraud at Somali-run daycares in Minnesota was widely credited with bringing intense federal attention in the Twin Cities, including the sweeping immigration enforcement surge dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.”
The Otay Mesa Port of Entry is one of the busiest commercial and inspection points in the region. Noem’s remarks may touch on resource allocations, federal–state cooperation, and operational metrics and narcotics trafficking, according to federal sources.
