President-elect Trump announced Wednesday that he has nominated South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the news to The Hill Tuesday morning. President Trump made this official through an announcement that day.
“Christie has been very strong on border security,” Trump said in a statement. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Horman to secure our borders and ensure that the American homeland is safe from our enemies.”
Noem was previously mentioned as a possible running mate for Trump, but her consideration faded after the release of her autobiography in which she described killing an “untrainable” dog.
Instead, the Republican governor was appointed to lead a sprawling agency tasked with protecting the United States from terrorist threats, securing our borders and enforcing U.S. immigration laws. Trump also directed DHS to conduct “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
Noem’s selection is the latest sign of President Trump’s intention to take a hard line on immigration policy, an agenda he said would result in the largest deportations in U.S. history.
If confirmed, Noem would work closely with Stephen Miller, whom Trump appointed as deputy chief of staff for policy. Miller played a key role in shaping some of Trump’s strictest immigration policies during his first term.
Trump also chose Tom Homan to be his “border czar,” the first of many to have recently said that “families could be deported together” while discussing the Trump administration’s immigration plans, an early step in the separation of children. Those who supported it were welcomed.
Although Noem has little national security experience, she has sent South Dakota National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and has spoken out on immigration issues.
“South Dakota will not accept illegal immigrants who the Biden administration seeks to relocate. A message to illegal immigrants… When you become an American, call me.” Noem wrote on the social platform X in 2021, shortly after President Biden took office.
She also supported Trump’s Muslim travel ban while serving as a member of Congress and supported a moratorium on the entry of “refugees from terrorist camps.”
“I share the president’s concerns about our ability to screen refugees, especially those from terrorist hotbed areas,” Noem said in 2017. “I support a temporary moratorium on accepting refugees from terrorist-controlled areas, at least until the administration can demonstrate this. “Asylum seekers do not pose a safety threat to the United States,” he said.
Noem was also previously nominated for Secretary of the Interior.
“I love being governor of South Dakota,” Noem said at the time. “President Trump knows I will help him in any way I can.”
Noem was a regular with Trump on the campaign trail, including one event that was converted into a music listening session after several medical emergencies occurred among attendees.
DHS includes many major public safety agencies. In addition to immigration work, it also includes the Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It also includes the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which helps businesses prevent cyberattacks and attacks on their physical infrastructure.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Brett Samuels contributed.
Updated at 7:50 PM EST
