Ousted DHS Secretary Noem moves to new Shield of the Americas envoy position

During the Inter-American Shield summit in Florida on Saturday, outgoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem thanked President Donald Trump for appointing her to a newly created post following her removal as head of the agency.

Noem, who has moved into the newly created position of special envoy for the Inter-American Shield, showed no ill feelings toward the president and said she was proud of her work at DHS, arguing that the department had secured the border and eliminated public safety threats.

“I want to thank the president for creating this and giving me the honor and opportunity to serve as a special envoy in this region, in the Western Hemisphere,” Noem said during the summit at Trump National Doral outside Miami. he said.

“This Inter-American Shield will be a powerful example to the rest of the world of what is possible.”

Trump announced this week that Noem would move into the new role after shortening her tenure at DHS.

Noem was ousted as the nation’s immigration chief after a tumultuous process marked by infighting and two contentious congressional hearings in which even some Republicans pressured her over her leadership missteps, including the ad campaign the president claimed he signed.

Noem framed the initiative as an effort to expand border security cooperation beyond the United States.

“The way we cooperate towards our shared ideals of freedom, democracy, safety and security will be a bright light for those who want to be more like us all,” he said.

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Trump fired Noem this week as the nation’s DHS chief after a tumultuous process. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Noem, who previously served in Congress and as governor of South Dakota before leading DHS, defended her record on overseeing immigration enforcement last year.

“Last year, as Secretary of Homeland Security, we focused on securing our border,” he said. “We have turned our country into a country occupied by enemies, where millions of people come without being investigated, where we do not know who is there and who wants to harm us.”

“We secured the border,” he continued. “We are focused on eliminating threats to public safety, and last year more than 3 million people were deported or removed from our country.”

Noem argued that stronger border controls allow the administration to move toward economic and diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

“Secure borders changed everything for our country,” he said. “Now that America is safe and our borders are secure, we want to focus on our neighbors and help our neighbors with their borders and the challenges they face, so they can have the security that we have.”

Trump announced on Truth Social that he will replace Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., effective March 31, while Noem will move into the newly created ambassador role.

Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attended Saturday’s summit.

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Leaders of other nations include Javier Milei of Argentina, Nayib Bukele Ortez of El Salvador, Rodrigo Paz Pereira of Bolivia, Rodrigo Chaves Robles of Costa Rica, José Raúl Mulino Quintero of Panama and Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago, Jose Antonio Kast of Chile, Luis Rodolfo Abinader of the Dominican Republic took it. Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín of Corona, Ecuador, Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana, Nasry “Tito” Asfura of Honduras and Santiago Peña of Paraguay.

Particularly missing were Venezuela’s leaders Delcy Rodríguez and Mexico’s leaders Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

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