United States President Donald Trump announced that Kristy Noem will be replaced as Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), the first major change to his Cabinet since his reelection.
Noam, who oversaw Trump’s controversial immigration crackdown, will serve as a special representative for the newly created security initiative, Shield of the Americas.
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Her removal follows a tense, two-day congressional hearing on Capitol Hill, during which Noem faced a rare, united front of bipartisan hostility.
Trump has nominated Senator Marquane Mullin to replace him. The change is expected to take effect from March 31.
Here’s what we know:
Who is Christie Nome?
Christy Noem, 54, is the former Republican governor of South Dakota and most recently served as Homeland Security secretary in the Trump administration.
In that role, he oversaw some of Trump’s key campaign priorities, including efforts to tighten security along the US-Mexico border and speed up deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Her tenure was marked by high-profile immigration enforcement operations that were often publicized on social media, with Noem sometimes accompanying federal agents during arrests.
During this sweeping immigration crackdown across the US, two US citizens, Alex Pretty and Renee Good, were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Noem also oversaw the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its disaster response operations.
What has Trump announced?
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote that he was removing Nome from his position.
Despite the move, he lauded his tenure saying he had “served us well and achieved numerous and wonderful results (especially on the border!)”.
Noem will be reassigned to a newly created role as special envoy for “Shield of the Americas,” a security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere, Trump added.
To replace her, Trump said he would nominate Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, described as a “MAGA warrior,” to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
The announcement comes after controversy over a $220m border security ad campaign featuring Noem on horseback. After Noam told Congress that Trump had endorsed the campaign, Trump denied participation.
In a telephone interview with Reuters news agency, he said: “I didn’t know anything about it.”
What led to Trump’s reassignment of Noem?
Trump’s decision to reassign Noem followed two days of congressional hearings on Capitol Hill as the Homeland Security secretary was met with questioning from members of both parties.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said that Noem was “crushing under questions”, citing a series of controversies that made it difficult for him to continue his leadership.
Some of them include:
The Minneapolis shootings:
Noem faced a backlash over the deaths of two US civilian protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretty, who were fatally shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis earlier this year, and whose deaths sparked nationwide protests.
Critics of the operation accused the administration of using excessive force and demanded an independent investigation.
Lawmakers accused Noem of waging a “smear campaign” by labeling the dead as “domestic terrorists” in the wake of the killings and criticized him for barring local investigators from crime scenes.
“What Republicans and Democrats have said about what happened in Minnesota, the death of two American citizens, who they initially described as domestic terrorists, turned out to be false,” Fisher reported.
Controversial $220m ad campaign:
Noem was grilled about a nearly $220m border security ad campaign that featured her prominently, including campaign footage of her on horseback near Mount Rushmore.
The campaign contracts drew criticism after they were awarded to firms with Republican political ties, including subcontractors linked to people close to Noem. During congressional hearings, Nome said Trump had endorsed the campaign, but the president later told Reuters he “knew nothing about it.”
FEMA Abuse and Disaster Response:
Both Democrats and Republicans criticized Noem’s handling of emergency responses, such as the deadly Texas floods in July 2025 and Hurricane Helen in 2024.
Critics say her management style has slowed some disaster response funding and reimbursements to states.
What is America’s Shield?
Shield of the Americas is a new US national security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere established by Trump.
The initiative reflects Trump’s effort to expand US security operations across the Western Hemisphere, including more military and intelligence deployments, and based on the Monroe Doctrine on “spheres of influence,” now known as the “Donroe Doctrine.”
The program aims to dismantle cartels, combat drug trafficking and counter Chinese influence in Latin America.
On Thursday, Noem said the goal of the new summit was to “promote freedom, security and prosperity in our region”. Part of that includes partnering with 12 other countries to “address criminal narcoterrorist gangs and cartels and combat illegal and mass migration.”
Who is Markwayne Mullin?
Senator Mullin, 48, is one of Trump’s fiercest supporters on Capitol Hill.
A former business owner and undefeated MMA fighter with a 5-0 professional record, Mullin served a decade in the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate in 2023. Known for his “MAGA Warrior” persona, he has long served as a key mediator between the White House and congressional Republicans.
If confirmed, Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, would be the first Native American to lead DHS.
He is described on his website as a “successful business owner, working cow-calf rancher and proud husband of 28 years to Mrs. Christy Mullin.”
He has previously supported homeland security policy and the administration’s crackdown on immigration.
“Obstructing federal law enforcement is a crime. Most Americans follow ICE instructions without thinking twice,” Mullin said on social media after Pretty’s death.
Al Jazeera’s Fisher said the administration expects Mullin to be a “better administrator” than his predecessor.
“Even though Kristi Noem was a former governor, the White House didn’t think she was running the agency well,” Fisher noted. “They feel they need someone with experience navigating the federal machine, and they believe Mullin is that person.”
Although President Trump has announced that the official handover will take place on March 31, the transition will not be easy.
“(Trump) doesn’t get to do that,” Fisher said, because DHS secretary is a Senate-approved position.
“So he has to go through a Senate hearing with a committee, somebody who described him as a snake,” Fisher reported.
“There are Democrats who want to make sure Mullen talks about how to change the way ICE operates; if he doesn’t deliver, they might not vote for him,” he said.
The Cherokee Nation released a statement Thursday, calling the nomination “historic” and noting that Mullin is a senator from Oklahoma and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
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