Trump fires Kristi Noem as DHS chief, names Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends a meeting in the Oval Office on Nov. 17, 2025.
Mullin will need to be confirmed by the Senate to take on the role permanently.
Noem, who was formerly South Dakota's governor, had been at the forefront of Trump's efforts to carry out mass deportations. Following her confirmation, she quickly became the face of the administration's immigration agenda — making multimillion-dollar ads urging people to self-deport, conducting press conferences around the U.S. touting deportation numbers, and conducting international visits geared at promoting Trump's vision.
She is the highest-profile departure in recent weeks at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Madison Sheahan, former deputy director at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, left her post at the start of the year to run for Congress. Top department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin
left her role last month.
At the start of her second year on the job, Noem faced bipartisan criticism over her leadership of an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, where she deployed 3,000 officers and where two U.S. citizens were killed. Some of the loudest voices on the right for her resignation came from
Sens. Thom Tillis, N.C., who is not running for reelection, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Other Republicans denounced Noem after she referred to 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was shot by
two Border Patrol agents, as a "domestic terrorist" before any investigation had begun. Following the event, Congress, amid opposition from Democrats, failed to pass a budget to fund DHS and attempted to negotiate immigration enforcement reforms.
Noem was asked to testify before the Senate and House judiciary committees in early March — as her agency was in the third week of a shutdown. She said 100,000 employees were furloughed, including those who work in cybersecurity and disaster relief.
During the hearings, she sparred with lawmakers of both parties over the tactics used by immigration officers, spending at her agency and her broader leadership. Noem also received questions regarding a letter sent by DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari that accused Noem's department of having "systematically obstructed the work of the DHS Office of Inspector General" as he sought data related to immigrant arrests, airport security programs and counterintelligence.
Noem was the face of the mass deportation agenda
During Noem's time helming the 250,000-person agency, DHS was at the center of an ambitious effort to arrest, detain and deport 1 million people without legal status per year. DHS data released in the fall shows the department deported 605,000 people and has a historic high number of people in immigration detention.
As secretary, Noem oversaw the start of a hiring surge to bring on thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the proliferation of Border Patrol agents as enforcers throughout the country.
Noem's confirmation out of the Senate sailed through, despite questions over how much money the department was asking for to conduct immigration enforcement and policy directives coming from personnel high up at the White House, such as border czar Tom Homan.
While on the job, Noem drew scrutiny over the handling of national disaster relief and resources and her selection of Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign aide, for a DHS special employee advisory role. Noem's DHS has also consistently ended up in the crosshairs of legal scrutiny — from immigration courts to the Supreme Court. Federal district judges have blocked DHS from using wartime powers to expedite deportations and has ordered some deportees returned.
If confirmed, Mullins will advise the president on a wide range of security issues. This also includes being in charge of the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as a prominent role in counterterrorism, aviation security and cybersecurity.
Turnover within Trump's Cabinet has been minimal this term so far. Over the course of his first term, Trump had five DHS secretaries, including three who were acting secretaries.
TOTAL WAR DECLARED: Trump Vows to DEFUND Sanctuary Cities and UNLEASH ICE for Nationwide Crackdown! 🚨
WASHINGTON D.C. – The time for warnings is over. The Trump agenda has moved to a "Shock and Awe" phase, launching a dual-pronged attack designed to crush the Sanctuary City movement once and for all. The strategy is brutal and simple:
Starve them of money, and sweep them with force.
Two explosive questions are dominating the national conversation today, signaling the end of the "open borders" era in America's blue cities.
I. THE FINANCIAL NUCLEAR OPTION: "NO COMPLIANCE, NO CASH"
The first strike targets the wallet. A massive movement is demanding that Congress and the President CUT FEDERAL FUNDING to any city that refuses to cooperate with immigration authorities.
Targeting the Resistance: The viral image of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu standing before "Welcome the Stranger" signs has become the poster child for this conflict. Critics argue that these "feel-good" policies are being funded by
YOUR tax dollars.
The Ultimatum: The proposed policy is the financial death penalty for Sanctuary jurisdictions. If a city protects illegal immigrants from ICE, they lose access to billions in federal grants for infrastructure, police, and education. The message to Mayors is clear:
You can be a Sanctuary City, or you can have a functioning budget. You cannot have both.
II. UNLEASHING ICE: THE NATIONWIDE SWEEP
While the funding fight rages in Congress, the enforcement fight is hitting the streets. The second pillar of this offensive asks:
"WOULD YOU SUPPORT ICE AGENTS GOING ACROSS EVERY CITY AND DEPORTING EVERY ILLEGAL ALIEN?"
No Safe Havens: This marks a dramatic escalation from border enforcement to interior enforcement. The plan calls for ICE agents to conduct operations in EVERY CITY—regardless of local laws—to locate, detain, and deport those here illegally.
Night Raids: The gritty imagery of ICE agents making arrests under the cover of darkness sends a chilling message to the illegal population: There is no place to hide. The "Zero Tolerance" policy means that simply being in the country illegally is grounds for immediate removal.
III. THE END OF THE SANCTUARY ERA
This combined strategy of DEFUNDING and DEPORTING is designed to break the back of the Sanctuary City model.
Supporters argue this is the only way to restore LAW AND ORDER. They contend that cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston have invited chaos by ignoring federal law, and now they must pay the price. The federal government is reclaiming its sovereignty, block by block, and dollar by dollar.
IV. CONCLUSION: A BINARY CHOICE
The battle lines are drawn. On one side, local politicians protecting non-citizens. On the other, a federal government demanding the rule of law.
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Do you support the plan to DEFUND sanctuary cities and DEPORT every illegal alien?
