The Department of Homeland Security marked its 23rd anniversary on March 1, 2026, during an ongoing government shutdown, with Secretary Kristi Noem thanking employees who are working without pay and arguing DHS remains central to national security “by air, land, sea, or in cyberspace.” In the anniversary statement,
DHS credited the Trump administration with restoring “rule of law” and cited a series of enforcement and security metrics, including claims of nine months of “zero releases” at the border, roughly 3 million illegal aliens leaving the U.S. over 13 months (including self-deportations and deportations), thousands of gang-related arrests, arrests and removals of known or suspected terrorists, major drug seizures (including fentanyl and methamphetamine), billions of blocked malicious cyber connections by CISA, and reforms to FEMA aimed at faster state-led disaster recovery alongside multiple federal emergency disaster declarations.
Amid Shutdown, DHS Celebrates 23rd Anniversary
Since its creation following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, DHS has stood at the helm of our country’s national security, protecting the American people and our Homeland
WASHINGTON —Today marks the Department of Homeland Security’s 23rd anniversary. Less than two years after the devastating terror attacks of September 11, DHS was formed, and since then, DHS has stood at the helm of our country’s national security, protecting the American people and our Homeland.
“As the threat landscape continues to evolve, DHS is there. By air, land, sea, or in cyberspace, the DHS workforce boldly confronts the threats our nation faces every day,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “We are working diligently to prevent cybersecurity and terror threats, safeguard the southern border, reform our broken immigration system, and help Americans in the face of natural disasters. Our mission could not be achieved without your extraordinary courage and commitment. I am especially grateful to those of you who are serving during the current shutdown without a paycheck.”
The mission of DHS today remains the same as it did at its inception 23 years ago: protect the homeland and keep Americans safe. Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Noem, DHS has fulfilled this mission. In one year, DHS has made America safe again by restoring the rule of law, securing our borders, removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens and national security threats, strengthening cyber defense, and reforming disaster response.
Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, some examples of the crucial work the men and women of DHS have achieved to keep Americans safe and protect the homeland include:
- DHS has provided the most secure border in American history, with nine straight months of zero releases by Border Patrol at the border, ending the Biden Administration’s disastrous catch and release policy.
- Total border apprehensions under the Trump Administration’s first year in office were lower than a single average month under the Biden Administration.
- Over the last 13 months, nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 713,000 deportations.
- These arrests include 7,808 gang arrests, including 1,232 individuals associated with Tren de Aragua and 1,271 individual MS-13 gang members.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been instrumental in preventing terror threats, with over 1,538 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) being arrested, and 1,534 KSTs removed.
- 49,740 special interest aliens have been arrested.
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has stopped 2.62 billion malicious connections on federal civilian networks and 371 million within critical infrastructure during the Trump Administration.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 617,648 pounds of illicit drugs nationwide over the past year (January 21, 2025, to January 31, 2026) — an 8 percent increase over the previous year. This included 10,915 pounds of fentanyl, 186,359 pounds of methamphetamine, and significant quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, preventing deadly narcotics from reaching American streets.
- Under President Trump, DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services have located 145,000 unaccompanied children that the Biden administration lost. Too many of these children were exploited and abused before, during, and after being trafficked over our borders. All told, the Biden administration lost more than 450,000 children because of its open border policies.
- Within hours of the November 26 attack where an Afghan national murdered one National Guard member and severely wounded another in Washington, DC, Secretary Noem directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to put asylum processing on hold for aliens from every country, implemented a full-scale reexamination of every green card for aliens from every presidentially designated high-risk country, and placed a hold on the processing of immigration applications and petitions for all Afghan nationals and aliens from those countries of concern.
- The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) seized over 547,000 pounds of illegal narcotics – a record-setting amount nearly three times its normal annual average – worth more than $3.9 billion.
- These USCG counter drug operations disrupted transnational criminal organizations and prevented more than 206 million lethal doses from reaching U.S. communities, saving taxpayers over $10 billion in avoided costs, including $2.27 billion in healthcare expenses.
- Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been reformed to empower states and support state-led recoveries faster than ever.
- President Trump approved a historic 12 federal emergency disaster declarations for Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia – unlocking FEMA resources and enabling states to access critical federal resources to supplement their response efforts.
Release Date: March 1, 2026
Sources: DHS.gov , Midtown Tribune news