Trump fires Kristi Noem as DHS secretary, says he'll nominate Sen. Mullin as replacement

President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and announced he would nominate in her place Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, two days after Noem faced a grilling on Capitol Hill from GOP members as well as Democrats.

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Trump said Noem had "served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results," and would instead be made a special envoy for the "The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.

"Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas," Noem wrote on X. "@SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren."

Thank you

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem)[@POTUS]Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.[@SecRubio]and[@SecWar]are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…[March 5, 2026]

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.

NBC News reported earlier Thursday that Trump had grown frustrated with Noem after her performance this week during congressional hearings and had begun to consider possible replacements, citing lawmakers and people familiar with the discussions.

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During two days of testimony, Noem came under blistering criticism from Democrats — and a few Republicans — over allegations that under her authority, immigration officers have abused the rights of immigrants and American citizens and used excessive force. She was also slammed over how her department is spending the billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress and accused of dodging accountability.

Noem was repeatedly made to answer for her characterization of the two killed protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as armed agitators. Bystanders' video and accounts have contradicted Noem’s depiction of events.

The top Democrat on the House committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, pushed Noem about her comments.

“You told a lie about them. You said they were domestic terrorists,” Raskin said.

Other Democrats questioned why DHS officers used force to yank people out of vehicles or why they’d pulled an American citizen from his Minneapolis home in his pajamas.

Noem also faced criticism from some Republicans, including most notably retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who on Tuesday called her leadership a “disaster.”

Over the two days, Noem pushed back on the allegations, saying that Democrats didn’t have their facts correct and defended how her officers operate.

“We do targeted enforcement based on intelligence and go after the worst of the worst,” Noem said.

Speaking Tuesday of her comments after the shootings, Noem said she was relying on information from people on the scene and blamed “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.

Noem's department was infused with $170 billion, money granted by Congress that has since sparked questions over where and how it is being spent.

The secretary on Wednesday was asked about her department’s decision to carry out a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.

Democrats and Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, questioned whether the contracts went through a competitive bidding process and whether Noem’s associates unfairly benefited from the process.

Noem argued that bids for the ads were properly submitted, but Kennedy said his research shows "you did not bid them out” and, in one instance, chose a company that was formed "11 days before you picked them."

“You’re using millions of dollars of taxpayer money in this way,” said Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse, who called it fraud. “Ultimately I think there’s going to be accountability.”

Noem said the spending was carried out lawfully and claimed that Trump signed off on it. The White House on Thursday denied those claiming, telling NBC News that the president "absolutely" did not sign off on a $220 million dollar ad campaign.

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.

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.