U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Kristi Noem will step down as Secretary of Homeland Security. Beginning March 31, she will be succeeded by Republican Senator from Oklahoma Markwayne Mullin.
Trump thanked Noem for her service in the administration, noting her contributions as secretary. According to him, she “served well and achieved numerous impressive results (especially at the border).”
After leaving office, Noem will move to a new role—as Special Envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” the president said. The position is part of a newly created structure within the U.S. government tasked with coordinating security issues across the Western Hemisphere.
Kristi Noem is considered one of the most prominent figures in Donald Trump’s administration during his second presidential term. She has been an outspoken supporter of the White House’s push to tighten immigration policy.
During her tenure, officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement—a division of the Department of Homeland Security (ICE)—fatally shot several people during enforcement raids. Among those killed were two Minneapolis residents—U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Their deaths sparked mass protests and sharp criticism directed at the agency, Noem herself, and the Trump administration.
Calls for her resignation came from both Democrats and Republicans.