Trump fires Kristi Noem, Pritzker says 'don't let the door hit you on the way out'

Illinois Democrats are welcoming the exit of controversial Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem – months after she led aggressive immigration operations in the Chicago area that left one person dead and another surviving being shot five times by a federal immigration agent.

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kristi Noem,” Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on social media. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who last week met with Noem and reminded her that her days were numbered, wrote on X, “Good riddance! We still have to impeach her, Melt ICE and dismantle DHS.”

There were rumblings of dissatisfaction from President Donald Trump following two consecutive days of testimony by Noem before Senate and House committees, which featured grilling from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump on Truth Social said he will instead nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her. Trump says he’ll make Noem a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump’s second term.

Sen. Dick Durbin reacted to Noem’s exit by saying she was “unfit for the job” and accusing her of lying under oath before Congress.

“Kristi Noem was the face of an unpopular, illegal, and outright dangerous mass deportation campaign that claimed the lives of innocent Americans and terrorized many more. Our country expressed outrage, she repeatedly lied before Congress, and even the President finally conceded she was unfit for the job,” Durbin said. “Kristi Noem slipped on the outrages of ICE. Will this Oklahoma Senator be any better? We will find out as the Senate exercises its authority under the Constitution to provide advice and consent on this appointment.”

Javier Ramirez and Leonardo Garcia Venegas, U.S. citizens who were detained by ICE, and Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was shot five times by U.S. Border Patrol in Chicago, stand as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC. on Tuesday.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Durbin on Tuesday asked Noem about the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, as well as Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman who survived being shot five times by a federal agent in October. In each case, DHS labeled the victims “domestic terrorists.”

“We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements caused immeasurable pain to these families,” Durbin told Noem. “Let me give you an opportunity to do the right thing. Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists?”

Noem called the shootings “tragic situations” and said “we always offer our condolences to those families.” The DHS head said she was “relying on reports from the ground and from agents that are there and working to be transparent.”

Durbin on Thursday also accused Noem of lying under oath during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee, including stating that DHS is following court orders, despite a sworn declaration that ICE has violated over 50 court orders in the state of New Jersey. She also denied that DHS had detained American citizens, which is also false, Durbin said. And she denied that aide Corey Lewandowski had any role in approving DHS contracts.

“I have served on this Committee for more than 25 years … and I’ve never been through a hearing like our DHS oversight hearing with Secretary Noem [on] Tuesday,” Durbin said. “The Secretary took an oath to tell the truth. But instead, she repeatedly failed to do so,” Durbin said. "...This should concern every member of this Committee — Republican and Democrat alike. This Committee has an obligation to hold the Secretary accountable. I look forward to discussing this with you and other members of the Committee [about] what our recourse is.”

On Wednesday, Noem faced questions before the House Judiciary Committee about an advertising contract — glitzy ads starring Noem discussing Trump’s ongoing immigration campaign. Under questioning, Noem said the president had signed off on the $220 million ad campaign.

But Trump on Thursday contradicted that claim, according to Reuters: “I never knew anything about it,” Trump said.

Ramirez met with Noem last week and came equipped with specific requests, including barring federal agents from churches, schools and hospitals — and revoking a controversial policy that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to enter homes without judicial warrants.

She also told her in no uncertain terms — twice — that she’ll work to impeach her. She also told her she recognized that her “days may be numbered.”

Silverio Villegas González, a father and cook originally from Mexico, was shot at “close range” as he allegedly tried to flee a traffic stop Sept. 12, just days after the Trump administration announced Operation Midway Blitz, an aggressive deportation campaign targeting the Chicago area.

Tina Sfondeles

Chicago Sun-TimesNational political reporter