President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.
Trump made the announcement on social media, two days after Noem faced withering questioning on Capitol Hill from members of both parties.
Noem becomes the first Cabinet secretary to leave office since Trump returned to the White House.
Trump said Noem will be appointed “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a new Western Hemisphere security initiative the White House plans to unveil this Saturday in Doral, Florida. Mullin is set to officially assume the role on March 31, 2026. He will require Senate confirmation, but under federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he may serve as acting secretary for as long as his nomination remains formally pending.
Trump’s decision came after his frustrations with Noem reached a breaking point during Senate and House Judiciary Committee hearings held on March 3 and 4. According to Republican lawmakers and people familiar with the discussions, Trump was particularly angered by Noem’s handling of repeated questions about contracts approved by her department — notably a $220 million advertising campaign designed to encourage immigrants to self-deport. During testimony, Noem stated that Trump had been aware of the contract decision, a response that did not sit well with the president.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy captured the president’s mood in a single word: he was “pissed.” North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis went further, calling Noem’s management of DHS a “disaster” during the hearings and repeating his earlier call for her resignation.
Minneapolis: The Turning Point
The central factor in Noem’s downfall, however, was the events in Minneapolis. In January 2026, under an operation called “Metro Surge,” thousands of federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection were deployed to the Twin Cities in what was officially framed as an anti-Medicaid fraud operation. The operation rapidly escalated into confrontations with protesters and residents.
On January 7, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent after she attempted to drive away from officers who had ordered her out of her vehicle. On January 24, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs nurse, was killed by CBP agents while filming immigration enforcement operations. Both victims were American citizens.
In the hours after each death, Noem publicly labeled both victims “domestic terrorists,” citing reports from agents on the ground. Those characterizations were subsequently contradicted by bystander video and eyewitness accounts. At her Senate hearing, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois confronted her directly: “You and your agency rushed to brand these victims as domestic terrorists. We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you were wrong.”
Pressed by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to apologize — who noted that “two of three shooting deaths in Minneapolis in January were committed by federal agents” — Noem refused, insisting she had never used those exact terms. The position drew bipartisan frustration.
Beyond Minneapolis, Noem faced sustained criticism over her department’s use of congressionally appropriated funds and the pace of disaster relief coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those grievances crossed party lines and amplified calls for her departure.
Supporters of the outgoing secretary point to a favorable record on the administration’s own terms: more than two million voluntary immigrant departures in 2025, approximately 670,000 deportations, and record drug seizures. DHS had recently asserted that Noem had helped build “the most secure border in American history.”
Who Is Markwayne Mullin?
Markwayne Mullin, 47, has served as a Republican senator from Oklahoma since 2023. A ten-year veteran of the House of Representatives, he is the only Native American member of the U.S. Senate. Trump described him as “highly respected,” citing his decade in the House, his background as a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and his alignment with the administration’s security agenda. Mullin confirmed he had spoken with Trump by phone before the announcement but declined to publicly express interest in the post at the time.
Noem’s departure comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Haitian nationals in the United States. It was under her leadership that DHS initiated proceedings to terminate Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians — a decision now being challenged in federal court by the National TPS Alliance.
Whether Mullin, if confirmed, will maintain or alter that policy remains an open question. The TPS file will be among the most urgent matters waiting on the new secretary’s desk.
The Haitian community, which has followed every congressional hearing closely in recent days, is now watching to see whether this change at the top of DHS will have any concrete impact on its members’ legal protections.
Sources: Associated Press
