Trump fires Kristi Noem as DHS secretary after tensions, clashes with border czar
President Donald Trump reassigned Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday, making her the first cabinet official to be removed from her role in Trump's second term.
The president made the announcement early Thursday afternoon on Truth Social, where he thanked Noem, the 54-year-old former governor of South Dakota, for her service and said she would be moving to a new diplomatic role.
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), 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," Noem said. "I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’”
Trump praised Noem’s replacement, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, as someone who “gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda.”
Hours before the change was announced, DHS released a statement on social media claiming under Noem's leadership, "DHS has delivered the most secure border in history" with border apprehensions "at their lowest level in decades."
The move to replace Noem was not entirely unexpected amid reports of tension between her and White House border czar Tom Homan, who most recently clashed with the DHS secretary over the prosecution of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis man who was killed by federal immigration agents in January.
Noem had previously claimed that Pretti brandished a gun when he was fatally shot by ICE officers, while video footage of the shooting did not conclusively show that Pretti was armed. Homan told CNN he did not know “what information the secretary had when she made those statements."
"I can tell you I didn’t make those statements," Homan said.
While there are few public details about the new “Shield of the Americas” security initiative, in which Noem will serve as special envoy, the White House is scheduled to host a “Shield of the Americas Summit” with leaders from the Latin American community on Saturday.
Tapped as DHS Secretary for the incoming Trump administration in January 2025, Noem was primarily tasked with overseeing what the White House billed as “historic progress in securing the homeland” by announcing the deportation of more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants. That total included over 605,000 people the DHS removed through enforcement operations, as well as 1.9 million who have voluntarily self-deported since January, according to a December statement from DHS.
Trump praised Mullin as “the only Native American in the Senate” and said he 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.”
