Congress Homeland Security

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response.

Trump, who said he would nominate in her place Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, announced on social media on Thursday, two days after Noem faced a grilling on Capitol Hill from GOP members as well as Democrats.

Trump says he’ll make Noem a "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem took the stage to address a Department of Homeland Security event moments after Trump’s announcement, but made no immediate mention of her ouster. Instead, she read from prepared remarks, including reinforcing Trump’s message from the State of the Union last month.

Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump’s second term. Noem’s departure caps a tumultuous tenure overseeing immigration enforcement tactics that have been met with protests and lawsuits.

Noem’s tenure looked increasingly short-lived after hearings in Congress this week, where she faced rare but blistering criticism from Republican lawmakers. One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.

Noem told lawmakers that Trump was aware of the campaign in advance, but Trump disputed that in an interview Thursday with Reuters, saying he did not sign off on the ad campaign.

Noem has faced waves of criticism as she’s overseen Trump’s immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has spent billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress.

Frustrations over Noem’s execution of the Republican president’s hard-line immigration agenda — particularly her leadership after the shooting deaths of the two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — as well as her handling of disaster response, paved the way for her downfall. She faced blistering criticism from Democrats and some Republicans in Congress hearings this week over those issues and others.

Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism — including from Republicans — over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administration’s response to disasters.

Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.

Truth Social

Shortly after the announcement, Kristi Noem responded on social media, thanking supporters and addressing the decision.

Nevada and regional leaders react

Nevada’s congressional delegation and other regional leaders also weighed in on Noem’s tenure and firing.

Jacky Rosen, a Democratic senator from Nevada, posted criticism of Noem on social media earlier Thursday.

“The American people are fed up with @Sec_Noem for her incompetence and waste of tax dollars.

If Donald Trump won’t fire Kristi Noem soon, she must be impeached.”

Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada’s senior Democratic senator, said the firing was overdue but urged continued accountability from the administration.

“It's about time that Kristi Noem was fired, but our fight is not over.

Keep speaking out, stay informed, and let's keep working together to hold this administration accountable.”

Kevin Kiley, a Republican congressman from California, said he had recently raised concerns with the Department of Homeland Security regarding fire prevention and preparedness issues affecting communities in his district.

“Yesterday, following complaints brought to me by several counties and repeated efforts by my office to resolve those issues with the Department of Homeland Security, I directly questioned Secretary Noem about the Department’s lack of responsiveness. I’ve been critical of past failures by California officials to address critical public safety issues affecting our district, particularly when it comes to fire prevention and preparedness, and I will hold officials in Washington equally to account. We were disappointed in the lack of responsiveness of the Department toward these issues, and I am hopeful the next Secretary of Homeland Security will make fire prevention a priority and work closely with our communities to better protect lives and property.”

(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.)