Surprising no one, Kristi Noem’s cannibal deportee story ‘completely made up’

Refuting one of the most bizarre claims from Trump‘s Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, multiple federal law enforcement sources have now told The Intercept that Noem’s story about an alleged cannibal deportee was “completely made up” and never happened.

According to sources cited in The Intercept — including a senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the matter — Noem’s dramatic anecdote about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents allegedly detaining a cannibal who began eating his own arms mid-flight on a deportation plane was a fabrication.

The officials, one from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and others from federal law enforcement, said there are no records whatsoever to support the story and no evidence that such an incident ever took place.

How the tale was told — and retold

Noem first shared the grisly anecdote in June 2025 during a press conference with Trump at a controversial immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” She claimed a man in ICE custody identified himself as a cannibal and began eating his own flesh while being deported, insisting agents had to remove him from the aircraft for medical attention. She repeated the story later in a Fox News interview with Jesse Watters, describing the man as “literally eating his own arms.”

At the time, DHS and ICE did not verify the details, and journalists noted the account lacked basic corroborating information such as the individual’s identity, location, or even country of origin.

Now, after internal review and interviews with career officials, the tale has been dismissed by multiple sources as fabricated, with no supporting records in ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division and no corroboration from air marshals or other personnel.

Noem and DHS credibility issues

This isn’t the first time Secretary Noem has faced scrutiny for false or misleading statements related to immigration enforcement under her watch. In late 2025, Noem publicly stated that federal immigration agents had not detained any U.S. citizens during sweeping enforcement operations. According to Poynter, that claim was debunked by multiple fact-checkers and news outlets, which documented numerous cases in which citizens were erroneously arrested or held by ICE agents.

One detailed case involved Joe Botello, a U.S. citizen who was detained during an ICE raid in suburban Chicago despite presenting clear proof of citizenship; Noem was present during the operation and posted a video touting the arrests as enforcement of criminal conduct without clarifying his actual status.

Noem’s tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security has been marked by broader controversy and internal strife. Recent reporting shows widespread shakeups across DHS’s 23 sub-agencies, with significant personnel turnover after mass firings and demotions. Staff reductions have affected major components, including FEMA, TSA, and ICE, leading to morale issues and questions about leadership.

Senior officials within ICE and Customs and Border Protection have reportedly pushed back on Noem’s approach to enforcement operations and public messaging, including how deportation efforts are characterized and defended.