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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized the urgency of securing the U.S.-Canada border during a visit to Michigan, warning that drug trafficking and illegal immigration through the northern border are escalating threats.
Speaking at a roundtable hosted by America’s Future Tour, Noem said the Trump administration has already increased resources at the northern border, but more action is needed.
“It has to be all hands on deck,” Noem said. “We’ve got more resources here than we ever have before, and more is coming.”
Joined by Rep. John James, R-Mich., and law enforcement leaders, Noem pointed to a surge in illegal entries, particularly in northern states like New York, Washington, Vermont, and Maine. James called Michigan “the epicenter of the northern border crisis,” citing growing threats from drug cartels and criminal gangs such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
“We are dealing with this as a failure of the Biden administration,” Noem said. “Every state has become a border state.”
Noem warned that as southern border enforcement improves, traffickers are shifting their operations north. Customs and Border Protection data shows arrests in some northern sectors have reached record highs, with April marking the busiest month in decades for the Border Patrol in Maine.
Noem also expressed optimism about working with Canada under its new leadership, contrasting current Prime Minister Mark Carney with his predecessor, whom she described as “a train wreck.”
Rep. James urged a tougher stance toward Canada, suggesting tariffs as leverage to gain stronger cooperation on border enforcement. Noem added that enforcement will also expand to the Great Lakes.
She said the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill would direct critical funding to DHS for staffing, infrastructure, and law enforcement support to protect the northern border.
The U.S. Border Patrol announced on May 30 that agents had apprehended a confirmed MS-13 gang member near the Maine-Canada border, marking the second such arrest in the district so far this fiscal year.
During a panel discussion alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials, Michigan Republican Rep. John James warned that Michigan is “at the epicenter of the northern border crisis,” citing the deadly flow of fentanyl smuggled from Canada as a growing threat to American lives.