On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem walked straight into the media lion’s den on Face the Nation—and emerged unscathed. CBS host Margaret Brennan predictably tried to play “gotcha,” pressing Noem on statistics about detained illegal aliens with criminal records, clearly fishing for a narrative that would undermine border enforcement.
But Noem didn’t take the bait. She calmly shut down the line of attack, refusing to let a legacy media talking point distort the reality of the Biden-era border disaster or the urgent need to restore law and order:
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Margaret Brennan: What’s the breakdown of the percentage of those who you have in custody, that have actually committed a criminal offense versus just the civil infraction?
Kristi Noem: Every single individual has committed a crime. Though 70 percent of them have committed, or have charges against them on violent crimes. Crimes that they are charged with, or have been convicted of, that have come from other countries, that are here illegally, first of all. And then, they have committed a criminal act while they’ve been here, or in their home countries, as well.
MB: It’s not 70 percent.
KN: Yes, it is. It absolutely is 70 percent.
MB: 70 percent of everyone that…
KN (interrupting): You guys keep changing your percentage, you pick and choose what numbers you think work, but that is the fact. That 70 percent of the people that we have detained have charges against them or have been convicted of charges. And they need to be brought to justice, so we’re going to keep doing that no matter how much you guys keep lying and don’t tell the public the truth. It absolutely is, that these law enforcement officers are out there every day, doing the work to protect the American people, and they will keep doing that because they believe in enforcing the law, which is exactly what President Trump has charged them with.
And that’s the sound of the microphone hitting the floor.
What Margaret Brennan attempted here was straight out of Legacy Media 101. First, she minimized the most basic reality of border enforcement: that entering the United States illegally is itself a crime. With a wave of the hand, she tried to rebrand it as a mere “civil infraction,” as if semantics erase sovereignty.
Then came the next move—feigned outrage over the percentage of detained illegal aliens who have either criminal charges or convictions on their records. The objection collapses under even minimal scrutiny. The Trump administration has been explicit from day one: detention and deportation efforts are prioritized toward known offenders and repeat lawbreakers.
It’s fair to wonder why anyone from the Trump administration would willingly step onto a set like this, where the outcome is practically prewritten and the host is openly hunting for a “gotcha” clip. These shows aren’t neutral forums—they’re ideological arenas, and everyone knows it.
But here’s the reality the media critics conveniently ignore: legacy outlets still command massive audiences. The most effective way to counter bad information isn’t retreat or silence—it’s confrontation with facts. However hostile the setting, allowing false narratives to go unanswered would be a bigger mistake.
Like it or not, the Sunday talk shows remain a primary source of political news for millions of Americans. Yes, alternative media exists—you’re reading one right now—but the major networks and flagship programs still shape the broader conversation. That’s why Trump administration officials will continue walking into the lion’s den, absorbing the bias, and pushing back with reality and facts.
And Noem’s one of the best.
