DHS Secretary Kristi Noem out, Trump says
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in D.C. on Jan. 24. Photo: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is leaving the department and he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement, President Trump said Thursday.
Why it matters: Noem's exit leaves Trump's mass deportation agenda without its most prominent face amid a public backlash.
What he's saying: Trump said Noem will be "moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida."
- He also said Mullin will start on March 31, calling him a "A MAGA Warrior" who "truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda."
- "Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN."
Catch up quick: Noem drew bipartisan fury after accusing Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Nicole Good of being domestic terrorists after both were shot and killed by federal agents in January.
- She also criticized Pretti for carrying a gun with ammunition to protest ICE enforcement, suggesting he was "wishing to inflict harm on officers."
- Some Trump administration advisers have discussed "recalibrating" the White House's immigration enforcement approach as polling shows declining support for Trump's immigration policies.
- Half of Americans supported abolishing ICE in an early March YouGov poll, a sign of how much support has eroded for one of Trump's signature political strengths on Noem's watch.
Noem thanked Trump for the reassignment in a statement on X Thursday afternoon, saying she looked forward to working with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the new post.
- "In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise" forged at DHS, she said, going on to tout "historic accomplishments" at the department.
Context: Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to depart Trump's second term.
- Across his first term, Trump's Cabinet saw turnover of 14 secretaries.
Zoom in: As of March 5, roughly 190 co-sponsors had expressed support for impeaching Noem after the Pretti shooting.
- Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted on X asking Trump to "immediately fire" Noem, saying she is "betraying DHS's core mission."
- Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — both of whom voted to confirm Noem — demanded her resignation in January.
- At a March 3 Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, Tillis called Noem's tenure "a disaster" and threatened to block all of Trump's nominations until she answered his questions.
The big picture: Noem oversaw a series of militarized immigration surges in major U.S. cities, operations that put the most aggressive enforcement tactics on vivid, often violent display.
- The controversies didn't stop at immigration enforcement. She bottlenecked FEMA's Hurricane Helene disaster relief by requiring her personal approval on expenses over $100,000, cycled through three acting FEMA administrators, and presided over mass cuts to that agency's workforce.
- She also spent nearly $300 million in border security funds on a luxury jet fleet and $220 million more on ads featuring her.
Go deeper: Trump's immigration erosion worries his team
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional details.
