Kristi Noem targets press, leakers as homeland security secretary

Sept. 30, 2025 | Under DHS secretary, reporter’s TSA PreCheck and Global Entry revoked

July 1, 2025 | DHS secretary announces efforts to criminally charge CNN over reporting

May 20, 2025 | DHS secretary oversees ‘unprecedented’ use of polygraphs to identify leakers

March 9, 2025 | DHS secretary pledges to use lie detectors to identify leakers

March 7, 2025 | DHS secretary threatens to sue South Dakota newspaper over coverage

Sept. 30, 2025 | Under DHS secretary, reporter’s TSA PreCheck and Global Entry revoked

Reporter Steve Held received a notice that his TSA PreCheck was suspended on Sept. 30, 2025, three days after he was arrested by a federal officer while covering an immigration enforcement protest in the Chicago suburb of Broadview, Illinois. On Oct. 9, he received another letter informing him that his Global Entry membership was revoked.

The Transportation Security Administration, which sent the first notice, and Customs and Border Protection, which sent the second, both operate under the leadership of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

According to the TSA letter, which Held later posted to a social media thread, his eligibility for the PreCheck program, which he’s had since 2020, was preliminarily revoked. The agency said it made the determination after a check against law enforcement, immigration, regulatory violation and intelligence databases.

The letter cites Held’s alleged conduct Sept. 27 — the date he was tackled and handcuffed by a Customs and Border Protection agent outside an immigration detention facility. It incorrectly claims that Held assaulted an officer and misidentifies the location of the incident. Held was detained and later released without charges.

Held said his wife’s privileges were also suspended.

“It’s certainly tied to the arrest. How much is incompetence versus malice, it’s always hard to say,” he told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. “What really made me feel like this was more retaliatory was when they inactivated my wife’s TSA PreCheck and Global Entry; she wasn’t even there.”

The TSA letter stated its decision is separate from any related criminal or civil proceedings, of which there are none. It also asserted Held’s conduct was “inconsistent with expedited screening eligibility, which is reserved for persons known to pose a low risk to transportation security.”

The second letter, reviewed by the Tracker, only informed Held that he did not meet Global Entry’s eligibility requirements.

Held pointed to a recent HuffPost article about two people who claimed they also lost Global Entry after observing federal agents during immigration operations.

“It just seems like an intimidation tactic, or just trying to deter people from observing them or protesting them or reporting on them,” Held told the Tracker.

Held said he appealed TSA’s decision in November and had not heard back as of March 2026. The Department of Homeland Security and TSA did not immediately respond to a Tracker request for comment.

July 1, 2025 | DHS secretary announces efforts to criminally charge CNN over reporting

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters during a trip to a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Florida on July 1, 2025, that her department was looking to prosecute CNN over its reporting on an app that allows users to track ICE agents.

CNN reported June 30 on the new platform, called ICEBlock, noting that the developer behind the controversial app created it as an “early warning system” so users can avoid interactions with ICE, not to interfere with the agency’s operations.

Noem posted a clip from the CNN report on the social platform X, writing that it “sure looks like obstruction of justice.”

“Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500% increase in assaults against them,” Noem wrote. “If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

While it was unclear whether the post was referencing the app or CNN’s reporting on it, Noem made her stance clear when she was directly asked by a reporter during the Florida visit whether CNN should be charged for “pushing” the app.

“We’re working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them,” Noem said, “because what they’re doing is actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities and operations. We’re going to actually go after them and prosecute them. What they’re doing is illegal.”

President Donald Trump, who was with Noem and the Florida ICE facility, agreed, saying he would support the move to prosecute the network.

Trump added that CNN should also be charged for what he said were “false reports on the attack on Iran.” He has repeatedly alleged that both CNN and The New York Times falsified reporting on the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and called for the journalists behind the reports to be fired.

CNN defended its reporting in a statement to The Guardian, noting that the app is free and publicly available. “There is nothing illegal about reporting the existence of this or any other app, nor does such reporting constitute promotion or other endorsement of the app by CNN,” the spokesperson said.

May 20, 2025 | DHS secretary oversees ‘unprecedented’ use of polygraphs to identify leakers

Under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security employees are being subjected to polygraph exams, The Wall Street Journal reported on May 20, 2025. Noem had announced her intention to use such tests as part of her efforts to clamp down on leaks.

According to the Journal, employees — ranging from agency leadership to designated media liaisons — are being specifically questioned about whether they’ve been sharing unapproved information with the media, even if it isn’t classified.

DHS employees told the newspaper that the scale of polygraphing is unprecedented, and that the seeming randomness of who is selected for an exam and why has had a chilling effect.

“Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security,” said Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for DHS. “We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant—we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Both Noem and Madison Sheahan, deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have reportedly threatened employees with polygraphs and Noem has personally requested that certain employees be examined.

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel have also announced the use of polygraphs to identify leakers in their agencies.

March 9, 2025 | DHS secretary pledges to use lie detectors to identify leakers

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on March 9, 2025, that the department would subject employees to polygraph exams as part of its investigation into the source of leaks to the media.

Noem announced on March 7 that two individuals who allegedly leaked details about immigration enforcement operations have been identified and will face felony prosecution. She told CBS two days later that the leak investigations are ongoing and that she plans on using the full power of her office to ensure “that we’re following the law, that we are following the procedures in place to keep people safe.”

“Anyone who is leaking information outside of how something is planned for the safety of those law enforcement officers needs to be held accountable for that,” Noem added.

The Associated Press reported that while polygraphs are not typically admissible in court, they are often used by federal law enforcement, including for national security clearances.

“The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the news agency. “We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.”

March 7, 2025 | DHS secretary threatens to sue South Dakota newspaper over coverage

A personal attorney for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened on March 7, 2025, to sue The Dakota Scout, an independent newspaper based in Sioux City, South Dakota, after the outlet reported on Noem’s use of two taxpayer-backed credit cards.

The Scout and KSFL-TV reviewed thousands of pages of credit card receipts totaling approximately $650,000 from Noem’s tenure as the state’s governor. The bulk of the expenses were on airfare, rental cars and hotel accommodations for Noem’s security detail, in connection with her appearances at campaign rallies and as a speaker at conservative events, according to the Scout.

In a cease and desist letter emailed to the Scout in the early hours of March 7, Noem’s personal lawyer Trevor Stanley alleged that the outlet had published “false, misleading, and inaccurate statements” concerning the spending, KSFL-TV reported. Stanley specifically asserted that Noem had only personally charged $2,000, and demanded that the outlet stop reporting differently.

“Otherwise, we will consider all legal remedies, including a lawsuit seeking maximum compensatory and punitive damages, that we estimate at millions of dollars,” Stanley wrote.

According to a podcast with Scout co-founders and reporters Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis, they only obtained the receipts after filing a lawsuit to obtain the public records. They were also threatened with a restraining order to claw back the files after they were released.

Sneve said that Noem’s cease and desist letter is a blatant attempt to chill their reporting, and that he wouldn’t stand idle when individuals attempt to “saber rattle” in order to “intimidate good, honest reporters who are just trying to provide a service that shouldn’t even be hard to provide.”

The newsroom, he added, remains undaunted. “I would highly doubt they even file a lawsuit,” Sneve said. “And if they did, I’m not losing any sleep over that.”