Trump dismisses Secretary of Homeland Security Noem

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a statement posted on his social media account that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who had been the target of heavy criticism over immigration policies, has been dismissed. Trump wrote, "I am pleased to announce that the highly respected Senator Markwayne Mullin from the great state of Oklahoma will become the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, effective March 31, 2026. Current Secretary Kristi Noem has served very well and achieved many extraordinary results, especially in border security. She will be appointed as Special Envoy for our new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere, the ‘Shield of the Americas,’ which we will announce in Doral, Florida, on Saturday. I thank Kristi for her service at the Department of Homeland Security."

Spoke of Mullin with praise

In his social media statement, while mentioning his new nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, Mullin, Trump said, "Having served 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 3 years in the Senate, Markwayne has done an extraordinary job representing the wonderful people of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024. A ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) warrior and an undefeated former professional MMA fighter, Markwayne gets along really well with people. He is a person with the wisdom and courage necessary to advance our ‘America First’ agenda."

Stating that Mullin is the only Native American in the Senate, Trump added, "Markwayne will work tirelessly to keep our border secure, stop migrant crime, murderers, and other criminals from entering our country illegally, end the scourge of illegal drugs, and make America safe again."

Trump's nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, Mullin, will require confirmation by the Senate.

Harsh criticism directed at Noem

With this decision, Kristi Noem became the first cabinet member to leave office during Trump's second presidential term. During the implementation process of U.S. President Trump's policy of mass deportation of irregular migrants, the killing of two American citizens by federal agents who were protesting these practices had led to harsh criticism directed at Noem.

Noem was questioned in Congress

Noem's dismissal came after sessions in which the secretary was questioned for two days in the U.S. Congress regarding the government's immigration and homeland security policies.

Noem, who was the face of the Department of Homeland Security's strict practices, which adopted the goal of apprehending, detaining, and deporting one million people without legal status each year, had initiated a program to hire thousands of new officers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) units.

During his first presidential term, Trump worked with five different Secretaries of Homeland Security, three of whom served in an acting capacity.