Donald Trump has dismissed Kristi Noem as head of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency responsible for enforcing the administration’s immigration crackdown.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump announced that Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, will take over leadership of the department from March 31. His appointment will require confirmation by the United States Senate, where Republicans currently hold a majority.
The decision follows reports that Trump was dissatisfied with Noem’s handling of a recent large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, during which federal immigration agents shot and killed two American citizens.
The president was also reportedly angered by Noem’s testimony at a Senate hearing earlier this week, where she said Trump had personally approved a $220-million DHS advertising campaign in which she featured prominently.
Despite her dismissal, Trump said Noem would take on a new role as special envoy for a security initiative in the Western Hemisphere called “The Shield of the Americas,” which he said will be announced on Saturday.
“Kristi has served us well and has had numerous and spectacular results, especially on the border,” Trump said.
He described Mullin as a “MAGA warrior” who would be a “spectacular secretary of homeland security.”
“Markwayne will work tirelessly to keep our border secure, stop migrant crime and prevent criminals from illegally entering our country, end the scourge of illegal drugs and make America safe again,” Trump said.
Speaking to reporters, Mullin said his priority would be strengthening national security.
“I think there are opportunities to build on successes and also to improve on areas that maybe didn’t go quite as planned,” he said.
Noem, posting on X, thanked Trump for the new role and pointed to what she described as major achievements during her tenure at DHS.
“We delivered the most secure border in American history,” she said, adding that three million undocumented migrants had left the United States.
Political backlash
Democratic lawmakers welcomed Noem’s removal.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s Democratic minority leader, said: “Good riddance.”
Dick Durbin criticised Noem’s leadership, saying she had overseen an “unpopular, illegal and dangerous mass deportation campaign” that he claimed led to the deaths of innocent Americans.
Adam Schiff also said Noem should have been dismissed earlier, arguing that the $220-million advertising campaign was a waste of public funds that largely promoted the DHS chief herself.
Noem faced bipartisan criticism during a Senate hearing earlier this week. Republican senator Thom Tillis described her leadership as a “disaster” and called for her resignation.
Democrats also pressed Noem to apologise for the deaths of the two Americans in Minnesota during protests against the immigration crackdown after she referred to them as “domestic terrorists.”
Meanwhile, Republican senator John Kennedy questioned the cost of the DHS advertising campaign.
When Noem defended the advertisements as effective, Kennedy responded that they had mainly boosted her own public profile.
Noem is the first member of Trump’s cabinet to be dismissed since he returned to office. Her departure comes amid a partial shutdown at DHS, with Democrats blocking additional funding unless changes are made to how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducts its operations.
Lawmakers have called for restrictions on ICE patrols, a ban on agents wearing face masks and a requirement for officers to obtain judicial warrants before entering private property.