Detroiters, hide your puppies. ICE Barbie Kristi Noem was in town on Friday, warning of a “northern border crisis.”
Noem held the event with MAGA U.S. Rep. John James — who is in the running to become the Republican nominee for Michigan governor in 2026.
The two claimed that Michigan has become ground zero for a growing crisis at the northern border.
“I spent a little time today looking at your ports of entry and talking with some of the folks there, just about the fact that they’re seeing so many more TdA members, MS-13 members crossing now here at the northern ports of entry,” Noem said. “They’re coming across the northern border because the southern border is closed. They’re stopping them because they still have the resources to.” — DHS Secretary Noem
And if the illegal crossings aren’t enough cosplay, Noem claimed that the violence surrounding ICE arrests are coordinated. “The riots and violence you see — that’s funded by socialists, by communists, by dangerous criminals,” she said.
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy participated in the roundtable event and cited his department’s cooperation with the feds to seize 150 kilos of cocaine coming from Canada.
Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed by an undocumented immigrant, was also dragged out to share her story in graphic detail to persuade lawmakers to take aggressive action.
FACT CHECK — BridgeMI
There were 13,697 encounters between authorities and unauthorized immigrants at Michigan’s border with Canada last year — a small fraction of the 2.9 million encounters reported nationally, according to federal data. Michigan border encounters were down 46% in the first five months 2025.
There were 22,370 apprehensions at the northern border with Canada last year, compared to more than 1 million at the southern border with Mexico.
US Customs and Border Protection reported stopping 43 pounds of fentanyl from entering the US last fiscal year, while Canadian officials reported seizing 14 pounds of fentanyl at the US border, according to the Detroit News.
