Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sparked outrage online after posting "Suck it" in response to a migrant lawsuit being dismissed due to most plaintiffs having already been deported.
On March 1, 10 immigration detainees filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration and Noem, alleging they were being unlawfully transferred to the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, a move the ACLU said violated U.S. law and the Constitution, the Daily Beast reported.
The plaintiffs, including asylum-seeking families, were mostly Venezuelans accused without evidence of gang affiliations. The lead plaintiff, Maiker Espinoza Escalona, was deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador, while his partner was removed to Venezuela without their child.
By May 23, most of the plaintiffs had either been deported or had chosen to abandon the case, leading to a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit.
Noem publicly celebrated the dismissal by tweeting, "Suck it," alongside an image of the court notice from her official DHS account. Her post drew backlash from legal experts, immigrant advocates and political opponents who called it cruel and unbecoming of a cabinet official.
Suck it pic.twitter.com/8ruAeJSum2
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025
Despite no formal ruling on the lawsuit's merits, immigration rights groups like the ACLU emphasized that the voluntary dismissal should not be interpreted as validation of DHS's conduct. The ACLU has pledged to continue challenging similar detentions and deportations, especially as more reports surface of families being separated and asylum seekers jailed without due process.
Meanwhile, legal observers noted that Noem's celebratory tone could harm ongoing litigation credibility. The episode adds to mounting criticism of the Trump administration's immigration policies, particularly its controversial use of Guantánamo Bay and mega-prisons in Central America.
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