Why was Kristi Noem fired? | Britannica

Kristi Noem, who was the highly controversial secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the second Trump administration became the first cabinet secretary to be ousted in the second term on March 5, 2026. Noem has come under fire for her handling of immigration crackdowns specifically in Minneapolis when she said falsely that two American citizens killed by federal agents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, had been engaging in acts of domestic terrorism. She faced additional scrutiny for her handling of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spending at DHS, her relationship with Republican operative Corey Lewandowski, and her obstruction of internal investigations of DHS.