Trump fires homeland security chief Kristi Noem, taps Oklahoma senator for job

US president, reportedly unhappy over performance at recent hearing over immigration crackdown, says ‘MAGA warrior’ Markwayne Mullin will take over job; critics say more change needed at DHS

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for carrying out his sweeping immigration crackdown.

According to multiple media reports, Trump was upset with Noem’s testimony at a Senate hearing this week where she said the president had approved a $220 million DHS advertising campaign in which she featured prominently.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said Markwayne Mullen, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, would take over from Noem at the powerful department on March 31.

The president said Noem, 54, would become his special envoy for a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere he called “The Shield of the Americas.”

Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!),” Trump said.

Trump described Mullin as a “MAGA Warrior” and said he will be a “spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.”

Mullin’s nomination will be subject to confirmation by the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

“Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” Trump said.

The Republican president campaigned for the White House on a pledge to remove millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and DHS is the chief enforcer of his deportation policy.

Noem made no mention of being ousted during a more than 30-minute address and question-and-answer session at a law enforcement event in Nashville, but later addressed her firing on X.

“Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” she wrote, adding that she looked forward to working with top administration officials “to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”

“In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security,” Noem wrote. She also said that, during her tenure, the department “delivered the MOST secure border in American history” and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had “delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate.”

Democrats and immigrant aid groups praised Noem’s departure but said more needed to be done to overhaul Homeland Security, noting the Mullins did not represent any radical change.

“We made clear weeks ago that Kristi Noem must be fired or she would face impeachment. Her well-deserved termination is long overdue, consistent with what we have demanded,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a statement.

Beth Oppenheim, the CEO of Jewish-led immigrant aid group HIAS, called on “all leaders in this administration — including the incoming Secretary — to lead with the utmost respect and dignity for the most vulnerable across our country.”

Noem came in for bipartisan criticism at Tuesday’s Senate hearing over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“Under your leadership, the Homeland Security Department has been devoid of any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, told Noem.

Durbin and other Democrats repeatedly asked Noem to apologize for the deaths of two Americans shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota during protests against the immigration crackdown and for calling them “domestic terrorists.”

Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, had harsh words for Noem’s tenure at DHS and called for her resignation.

“What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership,” Tillis said. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”

Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, questioned Noem about the $220 million spent by DHS on television advertisements urging undocumented migrants to self-deport.

Noem said the advertisement campaign had been “effective.”

“They were effective in your name recognition,” Kennedy shot back.

Noem’s firing comes amid a partial shutdown at DHS.

Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented to how the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency conducts its operations.

They have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks and a requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.

AP and ToI staff contributed to this report.