Kristi Noem ousted from Department of Homeland Security as Trump names replacement

WASHINGTON — Kristi Noem will no longer be the Homeland Security secretary, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.

Trump said Noem will be out of the Department of Homeland Security's top role at the end of March. He said Noem will be taking over as the Special Envoy for "The Shield of the Americas," a new security initiative that will reportedly target drug cartels in 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.

Trump nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to take over the role. Trump pointed to Mullin's decade of experience in the House of Representatives and three years as a senator as reasons for being a good fit for the role.

Mullins would have 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 Trump's announcement, Mullin said he has “no idea” how quickly his nomination will move.

“The president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously I’m gonna be over there a lot more,” he said.

"A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda," Trump said in a social media post. "As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities."

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 recently faced criticism by both Democrats and Republicans for how the Department has operated under her watch, stemming from the department's finances, arrests of American citizens, and the fatal shootings of both Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, called on Noem to resign.

"What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Miss Noem, a disaster," Tillis said at the hearing. “What we’ve seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens.”

Another Republican, Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana, also pushed her to explain why her department paid more than $200 million for an ad campaign she appeared in last year, encouraging migrants to leave the country voluntarily and questioned whether Trump knew about the price tag ahead of time.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.