Federal Law Enforcement Officials Reject Homeland Security Secretary's Outlandish 'Cannibal' Deportation Story
Multiple senior law enforcement officials have categorically dismissed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's extraordinary claim about deporting an undocumented immigrant who allegedly identified as a cannibal. The officials, speaking anonymously to investigative outlet The Intercept, stated the story is entirely fabricated and never occurred.
Noem's Repeated Claims About Alleged Cannibal
Secretary Noem first made the sensational allegation during a June interview with Fox News host Jesse Waters while defending Florida's federally funded immigrant detention facility, which Republican officials have nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." She claimed a U.S. marshal told her about a deportation flight where one individual declared himself a cannibal who "ate other people and ate himself."
Days later, Noem repeated the story at a media roundtable after touring the detention facility with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. She elaborated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had to remove this individual from a plane after he "started to eat himself." Notably, Noem provided no identifying details about the alleged man, including his name, location, or country of origin.
Law Enforcement Officials Call Story "Completely False"
This week, three officials from federal law enforcement agencies—including Noem's own Department of Homeland Security—thoroughly rejected the account. "It is completely false," one senior federal law enforcement official told The Intercept. The official later reiterated that Noem's claims are "completely made up" and "never happened," adding, "I cannot condone somebody making up a story that absolutely never happened."
Another official clarified that the story originated with Noem herself, not with the marshals she referenced during her Fox News appearance and subsequent roundtable discussion. However, when The Intercept contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment, a spokesperson offered a different explanation, stating Noem had simply been repeating a story told to her by an air marshal during a deportation flight.
Broader Context of Noem's Immigration Rhetoric and Political Pressure
Secretary Noem has frequently employed dehumanizing language while defending the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. Her tenure has recently faced mounting scrutiny following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Two Republican senators—Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—have joined calls for Noem's removal from office. Additionally, Democratic Representative Robin Kelly of Illinois introduced three articles of impeachment against her in January. Despite this pressure, Noem has remained defiant, labeling her critics as "radicals" and asserting she is merely performing her duties. "I'm just doing my job," she told Fox News host Sean Hannity last month. "I'm following the law, enforcing the laws, like President Trump promised that he would do to keep people safe in this country."
