President Donald Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, removing the official who led his immigration crackdown after months of mounting criticism — and naming Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.
Key Points
- Kristi Noem fired — President Trump announced on Thursday that he had dismissed his Homeland Security Secretary, the first Cabinet secretary to leave during his second term.
- Trump said he would nominate Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to lead the department, and that Noem would become a special envoy for the Americas.
- Noem faced bipartisan criticism over the immigration crackdown, a $220 million advertising campaign featuring her, and the pace of disaster funding.
- The department itself has been partially shut down for 20 days, with Congress still unable to agree on its funding.
Trump made the announcement on social media on Thursday, two days after Noem faced a grilling on Capitol Hill from Republican as well as Democratic lawmakers. She took the stage to address a Department of Homeland Security event moments after the announcement, but made no immediate mention of her ouster.
Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, had overseen the administration’s immigration crackdown, including the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. She was also criticised over the way her department spent billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress, and over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency after disasters.
The $220 million advert
One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million advertising campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily. The National Review reported that Trump was privately furious with Noem over her claims about the campaign, which was awarded to one of her associates. Trump said he had been unaware of the scale of the spending, contradicting Noem’s assertion that he had approved it.
Democrats have not been satisfied by the dismissal. Several said they would still pursue investigations into Noem’s conduct, including whether she misled Congress about competitive bidding on contracts, and Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois has continued to call for her impeachment. Noem took to social media to celebrate her record, claiming achievements on border security and disaster relief efficiency.
A department without funding
Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under the federal law governing executive branch vacancies he would be allowed to serve as acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending. He has no law enforcement experience, but is a close ally of the president.
His first task would be leading a department that is itself partly closed. The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 20 days, although many employees are continuing to work, often without pay. The House passed a funding bill for the department on Thursday by 221 votes to 209, with only four Democrats in favour, but the Senate failed again on Thursday to reach the 60 votes needed to advance the original legislation. Democrats walked away from an earlier bipartisan deal after the Minneapolis shootings, demanding new guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including a body-camera mandate and new training on public engagement. Transport security officers at airports are among those working unpaid, with callouts and long waits reported at airports across the country.
For background on the administration’s Cabinet battles, see our report on the House shelving the Hegseth impeachment vote, and on President Trump marking Veterans Day at Arlington. More in our US News section.
Sources: Associated Press via Air1, “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Fired; Trump Eyes Sen. Markwayne Mullin As Replacement” (https://www.air1.com/faith/news/trending/homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem-fired-trump-eyes-sen-markwayne-mullin-as-replacement-57805); Fox News, “House Democrats vote to continue DHS shutdown despite Iran threat, Noem’s ouster” (http://ryansdistrict.com/boards/index.php?topic=670836.0).