Trump nominates South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for DHS secretary
Donald Trump nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to helm the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump-Vance transition said Tuesday.
By selecting Noem, Trump is elevating a fierce supporter and one-time VP contender to be the face of his immigration agenda. If confirmed by the GOP-led Senate, she will have a broad mandate to enact the sweeping crackdown he promised on the campaign trail, including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, the hiring of more border agents and construction of more detention facilities.
Trump said in a statement announcing the pick that she will work closely with his “border czar” Tom Homan “and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”
“She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again,” he said.
Noem, who served as a member of the House before she was elected governor in 2018, has positioned herself as an enthusiastic advocate for the president-elect. She has frequently headlined conservative confabs and touted her light-touch approach during the coronavirus pandemic.
CNN first reported that Trump selected her for the post.
She sent South Dakota National Guard troops to the southwest border at least five times as governor, embracing Trump’s bellicose rhetoric about the region.
“The border is a warzone, so we’re sending soldiers,” she said in February. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.”
Though DHS has a sprawling portfolio outside of immigration enforcement, Noem will face intense scrutiny from Trump on efforts to deport undocumented immigrants and prevent illegal border crossings. During Trump’s first term, some of his top DHS officials chafed under his focus and indicated they wished he cared more about other parts of the department’s portfolio.
DHS is sprawling and complex, and only the Defense Department has more employees. It houses the Secret Service, the federal agency tasked with cybersecurity and election security, and an in-house intelligence office. It’s also the home of the Transportation Security Administration and is tasked with preventing terror attacks in the United States.
But Trump’s top focus will be the department’s immigration mission. DHS components are tasked with securing the border, enforcing customs laws, handling citizenship applications, arresting undocumented immigrants, detaining people awaiting deportation, and then transporting deportees back to their home countries.
At every turn, the department will face scrutiny from groups focused on immigrants’ rights and civil liberties.
During the 2024 campaign, Noem was considered a top contender to be Trump’s running mate. But her chances of being picked cratered after negative publicity surrounding an excerpt from her autobiography in which she wrote about fatally shooting her dog Cricket.