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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead the department, making Noem the first Cabinet secretary to depart during his second term.
Trump announced the change on social media two days after Noem faced sharp questioning from both Republicans and Democrats during congressional hearings.
Trump said Noem will move into a newly created role as “special envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a Western Hemisphere security initiative the administration says will focus on border enforcement and regional cooperation. Noem, a former South Dakota governor, has overseen Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, a tenure marked by protests, lawsuits and mounting bipartisan criticism.
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Lawmakers grilled Noem this week over the department’s contracting practices, its handling of disaster response and the pace of emergency funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She also faced scrutiny over the deaths of two U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, as well as the broader execution of the administration’s hard‑line border policies.
Mullin, a first‑term senator and former member of the House, would need to be confirmed by the Senate to permanently assume the post. Under federal law governing executive branch vacancies, however, he could serve as acting secretary while his nomination is pending. Trump praised Mullin as a loyal ally and said the leadership change would strengthen the administration’s national security and immigration agenda as it enters a critical phase of implementation.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.
Mullin said during a hallway interview in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, "I haven’t talked to the president," according to National Review. “I haven’t talked to him about the hearing at all, I can’t help you there, I’m sorry,” he said.
Why It Matters
Noem has faced scrutiny as the Department of Homeland Security carries out a series of immigration enforcement operations in multiple states. Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal agents in Minnesota in January as the department carried out enforcement operations.
Following the deaths of Good and Pretti, Noem's approval rating declined, and a group of House Democrats introduced three articles of impeachment against her.
Trump said he would not consider firing Noem at the National Prayer Breakfast last month.
“They were saying about Kristi Noem yesterday...'Sir, are you going to relieve Kristi Noem from her duties?’ No. Why would I do that?” Trump said. “We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the best crime numbers we’ve ever had, going back to the year 1900, that’s 125 years.”
What To Know
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview that he did not agree to Noem's advertising campaign, stating, "I never knew anything about it."
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, asked Noem during her testimony this week, "How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?"
Noem responded, "Sir, the president tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from with putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them, and they'd not get the chance to come back to America the right way."
She said the ad campaign has been "extremely effective."
Kennedy asked if Trump approved the advertisements, to which Noem answered affirmatively. Kennedy told reporters that he asked the president about the exchange.
“The president of the United States called me, and I’m not going to speak for him, folks, but, I would put it this way: his recollection and her recollection are different,” Kennedy said.
What People Are Saying
Senator John Kennedy told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing this week: “I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth. It’s just hard for me to believe, knowing the president, as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut, and I’m going to spend $220 million running them,’ that he would have agreed to that.”
Senator Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican, referring to whether Noem will be replaced in comments reported by NBC News: "Time will tell."
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, in a statement obtained by NBC News: "Secretary Noem serves at the pleasure of the President. She is honored to serve the American people and lead DHS. Under her leadership, we have the most secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens left the United States, and we now have the lowest murder rate in 125 years.”
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Update 3/5/26, 1:15 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/5/26, 2:17 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and remarks. The headline was updated with the latest information.
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