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Washington, March 5, 2026 — The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he has dismissed Kristi Noem as Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Noem will leave office on March 31, 2026. Trump said she will be replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.
The president made the announcement on his account on the social media platform Truth Social, where he thanked Noem for her work leading the Department of Homeland Security.
“Kristi Noem has served us effectively and achieved numerous and spectacular results, especially at the border,” Trump wrote. According to the president, the former secretary will serve as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a new regional security initiative that will be officially presented Saturday at Trump National Doral Miami.
Recent Controversies
Noem’s departure comes amid strong criticism over her management of immigration raids in the state of Minnesota. During those operations, two American citizens were shot and killed by federal agents, sparking a national controversy.
The then-secretary faced criticism for labeling the victims as responsible for “domestic terrorism” without presenting conclusive evidence. Earlier this week, during a hearing before the United States Congress, she refused to retract those statements and defended the mass deportation policies promoted by the Trump administration.
Her testimony drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers and also from some Republicans, including Senator Thom Tillis, who called for her resignation and referenced a controversial passage in her autobiography in which she described killing her dog and a goat.
Budget Crisis at Homeland Security
The political crisis has intensified as the Department of Homeland Security has been partially shut down due to lack of funding since February 14, while Democrats and Republicans negotiate changes to immigration raid procedures in order to unlock the approval of the department’s budget.
In addition, questions have recently emerged regarding a DHS advertising campaign valued at about $220 million, which was reportedly awarded without a public bidding process to an organization linked to the husband of former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump said he had no prior knowledge of those contracts.
The New Nominee
Noem’s replacement will be Senator Markwayne Mullin, a businessman and member of the Cherokee Nation who won a seat in the Senate in 2023 after several years serving in the House of Representatives.
If confirmed, Mullin will take over leadership of the Department of Homeland Security at a time marked by political tensions over immigration policy, departmental funding, and the federal government’s border security strategy.
