Officials say no records support DHS secretary’s account of self-cannibalism on ICE flight.

Three U.S. federal law enforcement officials, including representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have confirmed that a story shared by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about an immigrant allegedly engaging in cannibalism during a deportation flight is false.

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Noem recounted the claim in July 2025 while appearing alongside President Donald Trump and later repeated it in an interview with Fox News. She described a detainee who had allegedly eaten other people and then began consuming his own arms while being transported on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flight.

No federal agency has substantiated the account. Officials have described the narrative as “ridiculous,” stating there are no records or evidence to support it.

Text Reads: Federal officials, including the Department of Homeland Security, debunked Kristi Noem’s story about an alleged incident on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement flight.

A DHS spokesperson defended Noem, saying she was relaying claims made by an air marshal. However, officials within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including then–Deputy Assistant Director of Public Affairs Emily Covington, acknowledged in November that they had no information about any deportation flight involving a cannibalistic passenger.

Since July, Noem has not responded to nearly two dozen requests for comment. Law enforcement officials have expressed confusion and frustration at being asked to address what they characterized as an “obviously completely false” story.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth criticized what she described as a broader pattern of misinformation, stating: “The pattern of this administration abusing innocent Americans in the street, from tear-gassing children to shooting and killing citizens, and then turning around and lying about it to cover their backsides cannot be allowed to continue.”

Noem has previously faced criticism over publicity-focused initiatives, aggressive enforcement operations and programs with limited support, as impeachment proceedings advance against her on felony and misdemeanor charges. The resolution, introduced following the death of Pretti, has 187 co-sponsors.

The Homeland Security secretary and the department she leads have faced repeated scrutiny from various sectors in the United States over statements critics say lack factual grounding.

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