Trump fires Kristi Noem, ending her turbulent reign heading Homeland Security

WASHINGTON— In a major shakeup at the agency that has been at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, President Trump announced Thursday that he has replaced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who will resign at the end of the month.

Trump said Two days after Noem was grilled by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill, she announced on her social media website that she would nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to take over.

Noem will be special envoy for the Inter-American Shield, a new security initiative that Trump has said will focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem, the former South Dakota governor, became the first Cabinet secretary to leave her post during Trump’s second term. His departure comes at a time of intense scrutiny over his immigration enforcement tactics, which has intensified since last year after two protesters were shot to death in Minneapolis by immigration agents who called it domestic terrorism without evidence.

Those killings led to demands for greater accountability within the agency, and disagreement over how to rein in the tactics employed by federal immigration agents led to a weeks-long stalemate over the agency’s funding.

Since the shutdown, lawmakers from both parties have held a series of contentious oversight hearings to question Noem’s management of the agency. Criticism from Republicans at the hearing Tuesday was particularly harsh.

You. “We are an exceptional nation, and one of the reasons we are exceptional is because we expect exceptional leadership, and you have been anything but that,” Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told Noem.

Noem was speaking at a conference in Nashville when Trump announced the change on social media. He answered questions from local law enforcement and did not hint that he knew his departure was imminent. No questions were asked about his dismissal.

Noem after the conference ends He thanked Trump at X He said a diplomatic position for the special envoy appointment would enable him to work to prevent drugs from entering the United States.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity. It’s not a total surprise, but it’s a bit of a surprise,” Mullin told reporters outside the Capitol.

Mullin said he was “ready to get started” and would work to “win everyone’s vote” regardless of party affiliation.

“Yes, I’m a Republican, yes, I’m a conservative, but the Department of Homeland Security is here to enforce the policies that Congress has passed by everyone — whether you support me, whether you support me, whether you don’t, regardless of your opinions,” Mullin said.

Mullin must be confirmed by the Senate, but under federal law he is allowed to serve as acting Secretary of Homeland Security while his nomination is pending.

Mullin would be another Trump loyalist aligned with his immigration agenda. Mullin backed president’s proposal Unfounded claims regarding the 2020 elections stolen from him and Called “the Senate whisperer” By Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) for the Trump agenda.

Mullin, a former plumbing company owner and former mixed martial arts fighter, has served in Congress since 2013. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and one of the first tribal citizens to serve in the Senate.

Republican senators congratulated Mullin on the Senate floor when the news broke. Democratic senators applauded the decision to impeach Noem but complained that she would continue to hold public office.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote of

Noem has also been criticized for how her own department has spent billions of dollars appropriated by Congress.

inside this week’s congressional hearingsMPs questioned him about something 200 million dollar advertising campaign He oversaw the intense prominence of calling on anyone in the US illegally to voluntarily deport.

Noem told a Senate panel on Tuesday — under penalty of perjury — that the president had endorsed the campaign. denied to Reuters“I didn’t know anything about it,” he said.

Noem faces scrutiny a day before firing Relationship with Corey Lewandowskia Trump ally who serves as a special adviser to his agency.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City) asked Whether Noem had “sexual affairs” With Lewandowski. The question follows reports that the two had become romantically involved and that the dynamic was fueling dysfunction within the agency.

“I’m shocked that we’re down and selling tabloid garbage,” Noem said.

Kamlager-Dove said Noem’s failure to provide a direct response raises concerns that she has an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and shows a lack of judgment in national security decisions.

Noem’s handling of disaster relief has also been under scrutiny for months after she instituted a rule requiring her office to review all contracts and grants over $100,000; This led to delays in refunds to state and local governments.

The Trump administration has scaled back the Federal Emergency Management Agency and pushed for states to shoulder more disaster relief themselves.

At a hearing Wednesday, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) pointed to a $2.5 million grant for protection against wildfire damage that Northern California communities have been waiting for since June.

“Right now, my constituents are not being well served by your department,” he told her.

Under Noem, DHS has faced increased protests and lawsuits over its immigration policies. In March, the agency admitted that it mistakenly deported a Salvadoran man to a notorious megaprison there despite his protected status.

During court hearings months later, Noem confirmed that she had decided to continue sending 252 Venezuelan men to prison in El Salvador despite a federal judge’s order to turn the plane back.

Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney who has argued some of the most high-profile cases against DHS, said Noem’s tenure has been marked by “political theater and a stunning defiance of the courts.”

Another shocking moment occurred in June, when DHS stepped up raids in Los Angeles. During a news conference at the Westwood federal building, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents after Noem interrupted him and asked him a question.

Padilla later said, “If that’s how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, I can only imagine what they’re doing to cooks, day laborers, in the Los Angeles community, throughout California, and across the country.”

Padilla reacted to Noem’s dismissal as evidence of public pressure seeking to hold her accountable.

“That’s why we don’t give up,” he said.

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said Noem’s departure was long overdue.

“As two congressional hearings this week make clear, his tenure has been defined by chaos, cruelty, corruption, and a refusal to take responsibility for abuses committed by federal agents under his watch,” he said. “For immigrant communities across the country, his leadership represented a dangerous escalation of policies that treat families and workers as targets rather than people who contribute to and strengthen this country.”

Salas said the new Homeland Security secretary must ensure transparency, respect the Constitution and treat immigrants with dignity.