President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and named Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as his choice to replace her. 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,” and thanked her for her service on social media. Mullin must be confirmed by the Senate to serve permanently.
Trump described Mullin as “a MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter,” and praised his ability to get along with people and advance an “America First Agenda,” noting Mullin is the only Native American in the Senate. Mullin has been a defender of the president and his immigration policies.
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave the Trump administration in the president’s second term. Her departure follows intense scrutiny and two days of questioning by lawmakers over her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. Noem, previously South Dakota’s governor, became the public face of the administration’s effort to carry out mass deportations after her confirmation, running multimillion-dollar ads urging people to self-deport, holding news conferences touting deportation numbers, and conducting international trips to promote the policy.
Her tenure saw a large immigration enforcement push aimed at arresting, detaining and deporting up to 1 million people without legal status per year; DHS data released in the fall showed 605,000 deportations and record numbers held in immigration detention. Noem oversaw hiring surges for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and expanded Border Patrol roles nationwide.
Noem faced bipartisan criticism for a Minneapolis deployment of 3,000 officers during which two U.S. citizens were killed. Senators including Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski publicly called for her resignation. She also drew criticism for labeling Alex Pretti, who was shot by two Border Patrol agents, a “domestic terrorist” before an investigation began. Amid disputes over immigration enforcement, Congress failed to pass a DHS funding bill and negotiations over enforcement reforms continued.
At the start of her second year as secretary, Noem testified before the Senate and House judiciary committees while DHS was in the third week of a partial shutdown, saying about 100,000 employees were furloughed, including staff tied to cybersecurity and disaster relief. During hearings she sparred with lawmakers across the aisle over enforcement tactics, spending and her management, and faced questions related to an inspector general letter from Joseph Cuffari accusing DHS of “systematically obstructing” the OIG’s work as it sought data on immigrant arrests, airport security and counterintelligence.
Noem’s tenure also drew scrutiny over disaster relief responses and her appointment of Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign aide, to a DHS advisory role. The department faced legal challenges: federal judges blocked attempts to use wartime powers to speed deportations and ordered some deportees returned.
If confirmed, Mullin would advise the president on a wide range of security matters and oversee agencies including the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with responsibilities spanning counterterrorism, aviation security and cybersecurity.
Noem’s departure is the highest-profile exit from DHS in recent weeks. Earlier departures included Madison Sheahan, a former deputy director at ICE who left to run for Congress, and Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s top spokesperson, who left last month. Turnover in Trump’s Cabinet this term has been limited so far; during his first term Trump had five DHS secretaries, including three acting officials.