Trump urges DHS, ICE to publicize arrests, says crackdown is 'saving many innocent lives'
President Donald Trump is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to do more to highlight the arrests of illegal immigrants with criminal records.
"The Department of Homeland Security and ICE must start talking about the murderers and other criminals that they are capturing and taking out of the system. They are saving many innocent lives! There are thousands of vicious animals in Minnesota alone, which is why the crime stats are, nationwide, the BEST EVER RECORDED!" Trump said in a Truth Social post.
"Show the numbers, names, and faces of the violent criminals, and show them NOW. The people will start supporting the patriots of ICE, instead of the highly paid troublemakers, anarchists, and agitators! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,"
DHS regularly announces the arrest of illegal immigrants and will often publish the alleged offenders' names, mugshots and criminal history.
In response to a request for comment, DHS referred Fox News Digital to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's X post.
"We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals. In the last 6 weeks, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested 3,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles and incredibly dangerous individuals," Noem wrote.
"A HUGE victory for public safety. There is MASSIVE Fraud in Minneapolis, at least $19 billion and that’s just the tip of iceberg. Our Homeland Security Investigators are on the ground in Minneapolis conducting wide-scale investigations to get justice for the American people who have been robbed blind."
On Tuesday, the department published a video of agents in Minnesota arresting Samuel Eduardo Arevalo-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. DHS claimed that Cottonwood County, Minnesota, ignored the detainer for Arevalo-Hernandez, who was charged with two counts of third-degree penetration of a child involving victims ages 14 and 15.
The president's urgent call to DHS and ICE comes as the administration's immigration crackdown faces intense backlash after the fatal ICE-involved shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Good was shot Jan. 7 during a confrontation with an ICE agent that turned deadly. The incident sparked protests across Minnesota and the country, with agitators demanding immigration enforcement leave their communities.
On Sunday, anti-ICE agitators stormed the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., claiming the pastor was affiliated with immigration enforcement. Video of the incident shows agitators chanting "Justice for Renee Good" and "Who needs justice, we need justice," as they stood inside the church during the service.
Trump said on Truth Social that he saw footage of the demonstration and accused the agitators of being paid "professionals."
"They are troublemakers who should be thrown in jail, or thrown out of the country," the president said.
ICE reposted a video of the demonstration and said, "Agitators aren’t just targeting our officers. Now they’re targeting churches, too."
The agency blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for "whipping these mobs into a frenzy and then allowing them to run rampant."
"We won’t be deterred. ICE isn’t going anywhere," the agency said.
After Good was fatally shot, Walz and Frey spoke out against federal immigration enforcement, with the mayor demanding that ICE "get the f--- out of Minneapolis."
While DHS has said that the officer who allegedly shot Good was acting in self-defense, many Democrats have rejected that claim. Frey dismissed the self-defense claim as "garbage."
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.