Wrongful Arrest, Wrong Symbolism - Kristi Noem’s ICE Video Show and the Deep Fall of State Incompetence

It was supposed to be another PR coup for Kristi Noem, but in the end it stands as a document of state disgrace. The Secretary of Homeland Security, long mocked by critics as “ICE Barbie,” once again had herself filmed on Tuesday during a widely announced raid - but the released video unintentionally shows more truth than the secretary would like: A US citizen born in Texas is arrested by ICE officers and seriously asked why he spoke English so well.

One has to let this moment sink in: In America of the year 2025 a man whose only “guilt” is his Hispanic last name is not only wrongfully arrested but also confronted with a question one would expect more in a parody than in an operation of the Department of Homeland Security. It is the naked proof that Noem’s show politics have nothing to do with security but everything to do with staging - and that in the process fundamental civil rights are trampled on. The people affected by this “operation” are long more than extras in a political theater. According to research by lawyers and NGOs several of those arrested were released after only hours because it turned out that they either had valid papers or - as in the documented case - were US citizens. But who compensates them for the humiliation, for being woken at dawn with weapons at the door, for the trauma of being treated like criminals by their own authorities? Noem remains silent on this. Her department instead speaks of “unavoidable isolated cases” - a cynical euphemism for the blatant inability to respect human rights and the rule of law.

That Noem even sold this operation as “successful” makes the absurdity complete. Anyone who smiles radiantly into the camera in the midst of obvious mistakes does not document strength but loss of reality. The secretary seems to believe that a tough pose and a bulletproof vest can be translated into political competence. In fact what becomes visible is a mixture of overconfidence and irresponsibility that not only damages her office but also trust in the institutions. While those affected have to live with the consequences of their wrongful arrests, the real damage remains political: A department that wants to demonstrate strength in television images but in fact targets its own citizens is failing its mission. Instead of security there is insecurity, instead of trust mistrust. Kristi Noem wanted to cultivate an image of toughness - what remains is the picture of a secretary who confuses the seriousness of her office with a reality show.

So much for the “law and order” facade: When civil rights become props and innocent people are put in handcuffs, it is not just a slip but a symptom. With her video, in which one even sees her at the end, Noem herself documented that she has not understood the basic principle of a democracy: that the state is not an actor but a guarantor of freedom and law. In this light the nickname “ICE Barbie” is almost too friendly - because what the video really shows is not only incompetence but the dangerous transformation of politics into pure pose.