Overview
- Three federal law-enforcement officials, including one at DHS, told The Intercept the alleged incident “never happened.”
- Officials said checks with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations found no record supporting the claim.
- A DHS spokesperson said Noem was recounting a story told to her by an air marshal during a deportation flight.
- Noem publicly shared the tale in June and July, including beside President Trump, framing targeted deportees as “deranged.”
- The controversy has escalated political fallout, with calls for Noem to resign and an impeachment resolution now backed by 187 co-sponsors.