November 12, 2024
President Donald Trump has reportedly selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to sources familiar with the decision cited by CNN. While the choice has yet to be formally announced, the move is seen as part of Trump’s broader strategy to prioritize stringent immigration enforcement.
Noem’s anticipated appointment follows Trump’s decisions to appoint immigration hardliners Stephen Miller and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan to senior advisory positions within his administration. Miller, a staunch advocate of strict immigration policies during Trump’s first term, has reportedly been tapped as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, while Homan has been named “Border Czar.” Both have been vocal about their uncompromising stance on immigration enforcement, reinforcing the administration’s pledge to tackle border security with unprecedented rigor.
With Noem likely to lead DHS, Trump is ensuring that a dedicated ally will oversee one of his highest-priority agencies. DHS, which plays a key role in managing immigration and border security, has faced significant turbulence in past years, having had five different leaders during Trump’s first term, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The department’s broad responsibilities encompass Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Secret Service.
A former representative, Noem would lead a sprawling agency of hundreds of thousands of employees and a budget of $60 billion. She is also no stranger to controversial decisions. In her recent book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, Noem described an incident in which she killed her 14-month-old dog due to its inability to perform as a hunting companion. She stated that the act was intended to demonstrate her ability to make difficult decisions, a story that has drawn mixed reactions.
If confirmed, Noem will replace Alejandro Mayorkas, under whose leadership the U.S. reported a surge in inadmissible encounters at the southern border. CBP has logged nearly 3 million encounters with inadmissible individuals since 2021, bringing the total to approximately 10.8 million since the start of the Biden administration.
Data from the Deputy Director of ICE, Patrick Lechleitner, reveals that ICE’s national docket includes over 662,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, while DHS tracks over 425,000 convicted of crimes and 226,000 facing pending charges, all released under the current administration’s enforcement policies. Among these, over 13,000 have been convicted of homicide, and more than 15,000 of sexual assault, underscoring the stakes of the upcoming transition in leadership at DHS.
Should Noem’s appointment move forward, her tenure will likely focus on reasserting the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and border security, addressing what Trump has frequently criticized as lax enforcement policies under the current administration.
Sources:
- CNN. “Trump selects Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary.” CNN.com.
- The Guardian. “Kristi Noem details past experiences in new book.” TheGuardian.com.
- ICE Report to Congress.
