A Look At DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's Wish List For Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that she presented Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with a list of President Donald Trump's priorities for combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking cartels during their recent meeting.

"We talked extensively," Noem said during an interview with Fox News. "I gave her some options of more she could do. She has participated a lot in our southern border but we want her to secure her southern border with Guatemala. We want her to share more information with us," Noem added.

Mexico has intensified its efforts to crack down on drug cartels on its side of the border, responding to ongoing threats from the Trump administration to impose tariffs on Mexican goods if the country failed to do so. But according to Noem, there is much more to be done.

"President Trump is clear, he doesn't want people to keep talking," Noem said during. "He wants to see action and she (Sheinbaum) has an opportunity to do some things that I will give a report to the president and see if we can deal with the tariff situation that may be facing her people," she added.

Among other items in the list, Noem said the U.S. wants Mexico to be more collaborative when it comes to sharing biometric information.

"Right now we don't scan every single shipment that comes into this country over airfreight. We have some information sharing that could happen on criminal background checks," Noem said.

In addition, the DHS Secretary revealed that she asked Sheinbaum specifically to share biometric information, adding the Mexican president is open to doing it "even though in her country it would be a little controversial." Noem highlighted that despite the challenges, Sheinbaum is "putting a good faith effort" into addressing Trump's list of demands.

Prior to visiting Mexico, Noem met with high-ranking officials in El Salvador and Colombia to discuss crime and immigration. In Colombia, she signed the Statement of Intent for Biometric Cooperation, an agreement aimed at facilitating the sharing of biometric data between Colombia and the U.S. to help identify and prevent "criminals and terrorists" from crossing into the U.S.

According to Noem, the biometric data-sharing initiative has already led to more than 1,700 deportations and 1,000 arrests.

Similarly, while in El Salvador, Noem signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro. According to Noem, the agreement ensures that fugitives' criminal records are shared between the U.S. and El Salvador to prevent them from "being inadvertently released into American communities."