The Controversies Finally Caught Up to Kristi Noem
After a mandate Marked by controversy and a contentious week of congressional hearings, Secretary Kristi Noem is no longer head of the Department of Homeland Security.
President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social article Thursday that Noem would be replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, a staunch Trump ally and immigration hardliner. “Current Secretary Kristi Noem, who has served us well and achieved many and spectacular results (especially on the border!), will become special envoy for the Americas Shield, our new Western Hemisphere security initiative that we are announcing Saturday in Doral, Florida,” Trump wrote. “I thank Kristi for her service to ‘Homeland’.”
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Agencies under DHS include Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Coast Guard and others. It is a sprawling network whose vast responsibilities and rapidly expanding budget have placed it at the center of the Trump administration’s sweeping overhaul of immigration and border policy.
Speculation has swirled around Noem’s departure for months. Critics have attacked DHS’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, while Noem and figures like White House border czar Tom Homan have reportedly disagreed over how to execute the administration’s mass expulsion agenda, with Noem and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski emphasizing the number of arrests and expulsions above other considerations.
Noem and Lewandowski’s relationship has itself been the subject of controversy, with CNN reporting that a September meeting between the two and President Trump had become “controversial.” Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Lewandowski tried to fire a pilot during a flight for failing to carry Noem’s blanket from one plane to another during a transfer.
The ousted secretary has faced increasing scrutiny following the deaths of U.S. citizens during federal operations in Minneapolis, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents employed by Noem. In both cases, Noem publicly called the deceased “domestic terrorists,” a formulation echoed by Trump and other key administration officials. Video evidence, witness accounts and an independent autopsy contradicted the agency’s claims, including initial claims that Pretti was brandishing a gun.
The scrutiny of Noem’s tenure extends beyond the deadly shootings in Minneapolis and extends to a broader set of aggressive law enforcement tactics, warrantless raids and mass detention camps. A secret policy directive issued in May 2025, first reported by the Associated Press, authorized ICE agents to forcibly enter private residences without a court warrant. The memo, signed by Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, directed agents to rely solely on an administrative removal document to circumvent Fourth Amendment requirements. This policy has led to several documented cases of federal agents entering the wrong homes, including a January raid in Minnesota where agents evicted a U.S. citizen at gunpoint for no legitimate reason.
A record 53 people died in ICE or CBP custody last year, according to House Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee. At the same time, Noem launched a $38 billion procurement project to buy and renovate up to 24 warehouses across the country, with the goal of converting them into mass detention camps for people awaiting deportation.
Noem’s tenure has also sparked controversy at other DHS agencies. His insistence on approving any contract or grant over $100,000 within the department caused particular pressure at FEMA, which experienced a huge funding backlog that slowed the agency’s normal processes. A report released Wednesday by Senate Democrats found that Noem’s selection process at FEMA resulted in the delay of more than 1,000 contracts, grants and awards. Several FEMA employees told WIRED that this process has made the agency less prepared to respond to disasters and threats.
