Christy Noem to highlight Trump policies on San Diego border visit – CalMatters

Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem is scheduled to be in San Diego County on Thursday for a high-profile visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, where she is scheduled to hold a news conference focused on border security and counternarcotics efforts, according to federal officials.

The event planned for Otay Mesa is being framed by the Department of Homeland Security as an update to the current administration’s “historic border security and drug seizure efforts.” Noem is expected to be accompanied by US Customs and Border Protection officials.

Her visit comes as new polls show declining support about the Trump administration’s border control and immigration tactics after two fatal shootings of protesters by immigration agents in Minneapolis. That’s what an NBC poll showed 49% of Americans strongly disapprove of the administration’s immigration policy. That’s up from 38% last summer.

Democratic leaders in California have consistently condemned the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, which include courthouse arrests and detentions of immigrants who are has not been charged with any crimes.

But Noem and others in the Trump administration countered that California’s policies, including the so-called sanctuary law, are hindering their efforts to deport unauthorized immigrants.

“These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement agencies to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said in May, when the department released 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 on alert: obey federal law.”

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security touted its success in stemming the flow of illegal drugs and unauthorized crossings at the southern border, positioning them as major achievements in the Trump administration’s overall security strategy.

Noem’s visit follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trip to the San Diego-Otay Mesa corridor last week. where he highlighted law enforcement partnershipsincluding fentanyl administration and federal immigration raids. He contrasted the joint effort with the Trump administration’s decision to send The Los Angeles National Guard 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 quietly increased by 1500% last year, “but without the fanfare of what you see in your living room and on your screen that happens in places like Minneapolis.”

The trip also unfolds in the context of several high-profile political and legal issues involving the Department of Homeland Security.

In Congress, Democratic lawmakers have renewed calls for oversight and, some have called for impeachment proceedings against Noem over immigration enforcement tactics by agencies under her leadership. Democrats in Congress do not have the votes to remove Noem.

Noem’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, Haitians and Somalis — immigrant groups with established communities in San Diego — are facing 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 illegally installing a barbed wire fence on city-owned land near the border. The suit specifically names Secretary Noem as a defendant, making claims for environmental and property damage.

Conservative influencer Nick Shirley was circulating through San Diego County in recent weeks has reportedly been recording videos in City Heights and near Somali-run child care centers, prompting statements of concern from state and local officials about harassment and community safety.

Shirley, whose content has garnered millions of views online, has gained a following by traveling to border regions and immigrant neighborhoods and portraying them as outlaws. Immigrant advocates and local officials say his accounts misrepresent conditions on the ground and inflame tensions.

His video alleging fraud at Somali-run Minnesota daycare centers was widely credited with drawing intense federal attention in the Twin Cities, including a massive surge in immigration enforcement dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.”

The Otay Mesa Port of Entry is one of the busiest trade and inspection points in the region. Noem’s remarks could touch on resource allocation, federal-state cooperation and operational metrics, and drug trafficking, according to federal sources.