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| URL | https://www.kwtx.com/2026/03/05/kristi-noem-replaced-dhs-secretary-trump-says/ | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Meta Title | Kristi Noem out as DHS secretary, Trump announces replacement | ||||||||||||||||||
| Meta Description | President Donald Trump has removed Kristi Noem from her position as secretary of Homeland Security. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Boilerpipe Text | WASHINGTON (AP) â 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 administrationâs immigration crackdown and disaster response.
EN ESPAĂOL |
Trump despide a Kristi Noem del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional. Anuncia quién serå su reemplazo
Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen.
Markwayne Mullin
in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced
a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill
this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.
Noemâs departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of
mass deportations
. But she appeared to increasingly become a liability for Trump, with questions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermath of the shooting
deaths of two protesters
in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump said Noem âhas served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).â He said he was making her a âSpecial Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,â a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem, who appeared at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Tennessee, moments after Trumpâs announcement, did not address her ouster there. She read from prepared remarks and was not asked by attendees about the development.
Later, in a social media post, she thanked Trump for the new appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary.
âWe have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,â she wrote.
comments
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called âextraordinarily qualified,â confirmed to lead DHS âas soon as possible.â
FILE - Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 14, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Jacquelyn Martin | AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The administrationâs immigration crackdown faced criticism, especially in Minnesota
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trumpâs second term. Her 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 sheâs overseen Trumpâs immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting
deaths of the two protesters
in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of
Renee Good
and
Alex Pretti
, Noem portrayed both of them as aggressors, contradicting widely viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologize for her
description over two days of
Congressional testimony.
The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has
spent billions of dollars
allocated to it by Congress.
Her department, DHS, has been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Even before Noemâs appearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican lawmakers had been anticipating the secretaryâs eventual ouster, particularly after her handling of the immigration
enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis
.
As they tried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that should prompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund the department again, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability for the GOP, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism â including from Republicans â over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administrationâs response to disasters.
Critics welcomed Noemâs departure. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote âgood riddanceâ on social media, a sentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentally disagree with.
âThis is not accountability, just a reshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump,â said Vanessa CĂĄrdenas, Executive Director of Americaâs Voice, an advocacy group. She said Noemâs tenure was âmarked by cruelty.â
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noemâs watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noemâs tenure.
âShe is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others werenât even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,â Bovino told The Associated Press.
DHS leadership changes come at a pivotal time
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.
Voting in the Senate just after Trumpâs announcement, Mullin said he has âno ideaâ how quickly his nomination will move.
âThe president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously Iâm gonna be over there a lot more,â he said.
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 DHS secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trumpâs hardline immigration agenda. And he would assume the role at a pivotal time for that agenda.
Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trumpâs administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names, often led by Bovino, who reported directly to Noem. Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
But those high-profile operations in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis often led to clashes with activists and protesters that were captured on video and drove opposition to the presidentâs immigration agenda.
That culminated with the shooting deaths in Minneapolis after which Trump shuffled leadership of the operation. The number of officers there was drawn down shortly after.
___
Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||
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# Kristi Noem out as DHS secretary, Trump announces replacement
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President Donald Trump has removed Kristi Noem from her position as secretary of Homeland Security. (Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS, POOL, U.S. SENATE TV, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT)
By [The Associated Press](https://www.kwtx.com/authors/associated-press/)
Published: Mar. 5, 2026 at 6:53 PM UTC\|Updated: Mar. 5, 2026 at 10:08 PM UTC
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WASHINGTON (AP) â President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem](https://apnews.com/hub/kristi-noem), after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administrationâs immigration crackdown and disaster response.
EN ESPAĂOL \| [Trump despide a Kristi Noem del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional. Anuncia quiĂ©n serĂĄ su reemplazo](https://www.telemundonashville.com/2026/03/05/trump-despide-noem-al-frente-de-seguridad-nacional/ "https://www.telemundonashville.com/2026/03/05/trump-despide-noem-al-frente-de-seguridad-nacional/")
Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. [Markwayne Mullin](https://apnews.com/hub/markwayne-mullin) in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced [a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill](https://apnews.com/article/congress-noem-immigration-trump-ice-b6cb7b575b01cd5325f1a3bd658b605a) this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.
Noemâs departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of [mass deportations](https://apnews.com/hub/immigration). But she appeared to increasingly become a liability for Trump, with questions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermath of the shooting [deaths of two protesters](https://apnews.com/article/noem-testifies-congress-homeland-security-immigration-enforcement-ebb715699e3f4f6dd6fdd22157b4e1a7) in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump said Noem âhas served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).â He said he was making her a âSpecial Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,â a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem, who appeared at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Tennessee, moments after Trumpâs announcement, did not address her ouster there. She read from prepared remarks and was not asked by attendees about the development.
Later, in a social media post, she thanked Trump for the new appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary.
âWe have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,â she wrote.
## Join the Conversation
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called âextraordinarily qualified,â confirmed to lead DHS âas soon as possible.â
FILE - Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 14, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.(Jacquelyn Martin \| AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
### The administrationâs immigration crackdown faced criticism, especially in Minnesota
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trumpâs second term. Her 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 sheâs overseen Trumpâs immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting [deaths of the two protesters](https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-4d1499fc5962ab880f3816259e04bdbf) in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of [Renee Good](https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5) and [Alex Pretti](https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-alex-pretti-their-own-words-27b7233380c68306a64317b3bf2aa4a3), Noem portrayed both of them as aggressors, contradicting widely viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologize for her [description over two days of](https://apnews.com/article/noem-testifies-congress-homeland-security-immigration-enforcement-ebb715699e3f4f6dd6fdd22157b4e1a7) Congressional testimony.
The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has [spent billions of dollars](https://apnews.com/article/what-is-republican-trump-tax-bill-f65be44e1050431a601320197322551b) allocated to it by Congress.
Her department, DHS, has been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Even before Noemâs appearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican lawmakers had been anticipating the secretaryâs eventual ouster, particularly after her handling of the immigration [enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis](https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-twin-cities-immigration-trump-pretti-good-7090ef32c1c8f166617d82466535d760).
As they tried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that should prompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund the department again, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability for the GOP, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism â including from Republicans â over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administrationâs response to disasters.
Critics welcomed Noemâs departure. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote âgood riddanceâ on social media, a sentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentally disagree with.
âThis is not accountability, just a reshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump,â said Vanessa CĂĄrdenas, Executive Director of Americaâs Voice, an advocacy group. She said Noemâs tenure was âmarked by cruelty.â
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noemâs watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noemâs tenure.
âShe is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others werenât even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,â Bovino told The Associated Press.
### DHS leadership changes come at a pivotal time
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.
Voting in the Senate just after Trumpâs announcement, Mullin said he has âno ideaâ how quickly his nomination will move.
âThe president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously Iâm gonna be over there a lot more,â he said.
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 DHS secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trumpâs hardline immigration agenda. And he would assume the role at a pivotal time for that agenda.
Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trumpâs administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names, often led by Bovino, who reported directly to Noem. Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
But those high-profile operations in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis often led to clashes with activists and protesters that were captured on video and drove opposition to the presidentâs immigration agenda.
That culminated with the shooting deaths in Minneapolis after which Trump shuffled leadership of the operation. The number of officers there was drawn down shortly after.
\_\_\_
Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.
*Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.*
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| Readable Markdown | WASHINGTON (AP) â President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem](https://apnews.com/hub/kristi-noem), after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administrationâs immigration crackdown and disaster response.
EN ESPAĂOL \| [Trump despide a Kristi Noem del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional. Anuncia quiĂ©n serĂĄ su reemplazo](https://www.telemundonashville.com/2026/03/05/trump-despide-noem-al-frente-de-seguridad-nacional/ "https://www.telemundonashville.com/2026/03/05/trump-despide-noem-al-frente-de-seguridad-nacional/")
Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. [Markwayne Mullin](https://apnews.com/hub/markwayne-mullin) in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced [a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill](https://apnews.com/article/congress-noem-immigration-trump-ice-b6cb7b575b01cd5325f1a3bd658b605a) this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.
Noemâs departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of [mass deportations](https://apnews.com/hub/immigration). But she appeared to increasingly become a liability for Trump, with questions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermath of the shooting [deaths of two protesters](https://apnews.com/article/noem-testifies-congress-homeland-security-immigration-enforcement-ebb715699e3f4f6dd6fdd22157b4e1a7) in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump said Noem âhas served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).â He said he was making her a âSpecial Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,â a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem, who appeared at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Tennessee, moments after Trumpâs announcement, did not address her ouster there. She read from prepared remarks and was not asked by attendees about the development.
Later, in a social media post, she thanked Trump for the new appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary.
âWe have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,â she wrote.
comments
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called âextraordinarily qualified,â confirmed to lead DHS âas soon as possible.â
FILE - Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Jan. 14, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.(Jacquelyn Martin \| AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
### The administrationâs immigration crackdown faced criticism, especially in Minnesota
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trumpâs second term. Her 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 sheâs overseen Trumpâs immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting [deaths of the two protesters](https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-4d1499fc5962ab880f3816259e04bdbf) in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of [Renee Good](https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5) and [Alex Pretti](https://apnews.com/article/trump-administration-alex-pretti-their-own-words-27b7233380c68306a64317b3bf2aa4a3), Noem portrayed both of them as aggressors, contradicting widely viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologize for her [description over two days of](https://apnews.com/article/noem-testifies-congress-homeland-security-immigration-enforcement-ebb715699e3f4f6dd6fdd22157b4e1a7) Congressional testimony.
The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has [spent billions of dollars](https://apnews.com/article/what-is-republican-trump-tax-bill-f65be44e1050431a601320197322551b) allocated to it by Congress.
Her department, DHS, has been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Even before Noemâs appearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican lawmakers had been anticipating the secretaryâs eventual ouster, particularly after her handling of the immigration [enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis](https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-twin-cities-immigration-trump-pretti-good-7090ef32c1c8f166617d82466535d760).
As they tried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that should prompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund the department again, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability for the GOP, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism â including from Republicans â over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administrationâs response to disasters.
Critics welcomed Noemâs departure. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote âgood riddanceâ on social media, a sentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentally disagree with.
âThis is not accountability, just a reshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump,â said Vanessa CĂĄrdenas, Executive Director of Americaâs Voice, an advocacy group. She said Noemâs tenure was âmarked by cruelty.â
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noemâs watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noemâs tenure.
âShe is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others werenât even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,â Bovino told The Associated Press.
### DHS leadership changes come at a pivotal time
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.
Voting in the Senate just after Trumpâs announcement, Mullin said he has âno ideaâ how quickly his nomination will move.
âThe president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously Iâm gonna be over there a lot more,â he said.
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 DHS secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trumpâs hardline immigration agenda. And he would assume the role at a pivotal time for that agenda.
Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trumpâs administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names, often led by Bovino, who reported directly to Noem. Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
But those high-profile operations in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis often led to clashes with activists and protesters that were captured on video and drove opposition to the presidentâs immigration agenda.
That culminated with the shooting deaths in Minneapolis after which Trump shuffled leadership of the operation. The number of officers there was drawn down shortly after.
\_\_\_
Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.
*Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.* | ||||||||||||||||||
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