Timeline: 

March 9, 2026: Trump formally nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to serve as the second Homeland Security Secretary in the Trump administration.

March 5, 2026: Trump announced that Kristi Noem would be removed from her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. She was ultimately appointed to a new position as ‘Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas – Western Hemisphere,” an intergovernmental military coalition established by the Trump administration. Noem is the first Cabinet-level official to depart the Trump administration. The announcement of her removal came following protracted public outcry after immigration enforcement agencies under DHS killed and terrorized citizens and immigrants in aggressive mass deportation efforts and immigration crackdowns, or in immigration detention, and after months of heightened scrutiny on Noem’s oversight of FEMA, use of DHS agency funds, and more.

January 25, 2025: Secretary Noem was confirmed by the Senate.

President Trump has nominated South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this role, if confirmed, she would have responsibility for a wide-ranging portfolio ranging from natural disaster response, prevention of terrorist attacks, customs, anti-trafficking, and immigration and border enforcement. DHS also has primary authority over a number of temporary work visa programs, and shares some jurisdiction over them with the Departments of State and Labor.

While Noem has limited experience working on many of the issues in DHS’s purview, in her Senate confirmation hearing, she committed to carrying out the Trump administration’s plans to accelerate deportations and radically reshape the U.S. system for seeking and obtaining asylum, as well as reexamining the use of humanitarian immigration protections and work permits.