Leakers of ICE Operations Have Been Found, Will Be Fired, Noem Says

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 on Feb. 25, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The individuals who leaked information about immigration enforcement operations have been identified and face termination, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

“I have found some leakers,” Noem said. “We are continuing to get more. They will be fired and there will be consequences.”

Noem said that her agency used “every tactic” to find the leakers, including polygraph tests and an examination of communications such as emails.

She also said the leakers’ actions put law enforcement at risk and compromised national security.

Noem did not specify the number of individuals involved or which agencies they worked for, but earlier this month she accused the FBI of leaking plans for large-scale immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area.

The Los Angeles Times published a report based on a leaked internal memo detailing plans for a “large-scale” ICE raid. Noem vowed to take action against the leakers who undermined federal efforts to enforce immigration laws.

“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote in a Feb. 9 post on social media platform X in response to the LA Times story. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

The FBI dismissed Noem’s allegations.

“Making unfounded allegations calling FBI agents corrupt is deeply irresponsible and has not been supported by any evidence to date,” the agency said in a statement.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan blamed news media leaks for hindering a large-scale immigration operation targeting members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Homan said that details on the operation had been leaked and published media reports indicated that the raids were imminent.

“This isn’t a game,” Homan said. “We know that TDA is dangerous. Everybody can agree to that, but when they get a heads-up that we are coming, it’s only a matter of time before our officers are ambushed. Their job is dangerous enough. So we are going to address this very seriously.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi warned that there would be consequences for any individuals who divulge such sensitive information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.