13,000 Michigan Police Officers Call On Senate to Confirm Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary

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President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security is gaining momentum with law enforcement, including 13,000 in Michigan now backing North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

The Police Officers Association of Michigan recently joined a chorus of law enforcement agencies calling on U.S. senators to confirm Noem as Homeland Security Secretary next month with a letter to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who will take over as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in January.

“POAM proudly endorsed President Donald J. Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024 and we are proud to support Governor Kristi Noem for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” the letter, obtained exclusively by The Midwesterner, read. “We agree with President Trump that she is the best leader to restore justice and protect our communities. Governor Noem will have strong support from law enforcement across this great nation and POAM will be among them.”

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The letter notes law enforcement has become “more difficult because the Biden Administration has intentionally failed to enforce our immigration laws,” with examples of how the situation is playing out in Michigan.

“Criminal aliens and deadly fentanyl have crossed our open borders and have increased crime in both rural and urban communities across Michigan,” wrote POAM, which represents “more than 13,000 law enforcement personnel throughout of Michigan’s peninsulas.” “The current leadership of the Department of Homeland Security has betrayed us. Claims of ‘the border is secure’ were and are absurd.”

The problems, of course, aren’t limited to Michigan, with numerous law enforcement agencies citing the same issues in letters to Paul urging the Senate to confirm Noem.

“Over the past few years, we have witnessed firsthand the negative impact of failed policies, including open borders, the failure to enforce immigration laws, and the expansion of sanctuary cities,” The Broward Deputy Sheriffs Association in Florida wrote to Paul. “In southern Florida, we have seen an increase in migrant landings, which present a serious security threat. With so many unknowns, we cannot reliably determine whether individuals arriving at our shores are criminals or even potential terrorists.”

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It was a similar message from the 377,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“The FOP supports (Noem’s) nomination, and we look forward to working with her to secure our border,” the organization’s letter to Paul read. “The upcoming administration will allow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the opportunity to take bold actions towards protecting our communities, and the process starts with the timely scheduling of these critical hearings.”

The National Association of Police Organizations, representing 241,000 police officers, as well as the International Union of Police Associations concurred in separate letters to Paul last week.

“Foreign criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua terrorize entire neighborhoods across many states. Criminal aliens have entered our country and committed heinous crimes against our citizens,” according to the latter. “Too many scarce public resources are being spent on people in our country illegally. Our nation is facing a security crisis.”

“A wave of support for Gov. Noem’s nomination to be Homeland Security Secretary is massive and continues to grow,” a person familiar with the confirmation process told The Midwesterner. “The law enforcement community is filled with courageous people who risk their lives to protect the rest of us every day, and they say that Gov. Noem should be confirmed to this important post as quickly as possible.”

The sense of urgency in Michigan is fueled in part by to the many lives destroyed by illegal immigrants across the state this year, from the gruesome murder of a Grand Rapids woman in March, to multiple sex crimes against children, to fatal hit-and-runs, to increases in fentanyl trafficking, smash and grabs, home burglaries, and other crimes.

Data released by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in September shows there’s currently more than 662,000 illegal immigrants on the agency’s docket who have criminal convictions or charges pending.

Those criminals, the vast majority of whom are free to roam the U.S., include 13,099 convicted murderers, 15,811 convicted of sexual assaults, 162,231 convicted of assault, 56,533 with dangerous drug convictions, 5,797 convicted of fraud, 18,234 convicted of larceny, 14,301 convicted of burglary, 13,423 with weapons convictions 10,031 convicted of robbery, 9,461 with non-assaultive sexual convictions, 2,521 kidnappers, and 217 convicted of extortion.

“The United States Senate must confirm Governor Noem as soon as possible because this is a clear national security priority,” POAM wrote to Paul. “We hope that you and your colleagues will recognize the nearly unanimous support from law enforcement groups for Governor Noem’s appointment.”