On March 5, President Trump removed Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, demoting her to “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” This decision came shortly after a Senate hearing in which Noem faced criticism from both sides of the aisle over her leadership of the mass deportations, false public statements and misuse of taxpayer funds. Noem embarrassed herself and the administration, and unveiled serious issues within the leadership of one of the most integral and powerful departments.
At the hearing, Noem faced intense backlash and criticism from the Senate concerning these issues. Many questioned her leadership while carrying out Trump’s deportation agenda. After the murders of U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Jan., Noem made a public statement claiming that the victims were committing acts of domestic terrorism, resulting in their deaths.
This was quickly disproven by eye-witness accounts and video footage of the moments leading up to their deaths. Both victims were acting under their First Amendment right to protest and exercise free speech. Good was clearly trying to avoid confrontation and steer away from the agent, and Pretti had been on the ground and disarmed before he was shot in the back 10 times.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin asked Noem multiple times to concede that she was wrong to label them domestic terrorists. Noem repeatedly deflected the question before stating that she never called them domestic terrorists. She said that instead, she had claimed they committed acts of domestic terrorism, and chose to stand with that statement.
Noem claimed that she “strives to provide factual information,” and was “getting reports from agents at the scene” in an effort to justify her rhetoric. In contrast, prior to the hearing, ICE Director Todd Lyons stated before Congress that he had no knowledge that Good or Pretti were domestic terrorists.
Democratic Senator Corey Booker confronted Noem for lying under oath when he asked her “When you detain an American citizen, how long do they last?”
Noem replied that DHS does not detain American citizens. This statement is blatantly false as many citizens have been detained by ICE over the last year. If not detained, they are beaten, assaulted or violated by these masked individuals who are unqualified to act as federal agents.
Booker emphasized that ICE is terrorizing our communities and our country and violating our core American values, and that Noem should be impeached or step down from her position.
Many republicans in the Senate tried to keep the conversation focused on the purpose of the mass deportation efforts, framing Noem as the valiant leader of the operation to reverse the so-called mess made under the Biden administration.
While there were issues surrounding immigration under Biden, it was not due to his immigration policy or actions towards border control. In fact, his lack of action towards border policy and the repercussions produces a compelling argument that Trump’s actions meant to control immigration during his first administration were not effective.
The dissatisfaction with the lack of immigration reform expressed by the people caused Biden to present the bipartisan border bill in 2024. A bill that was meant to expedite the processes for asylum seekers and upgrade border security. The bill was shot down by Senate Republicans under the instruction of Trump, which should be viewed as a deliberate attempt to deprive Biden of a win.
Noem continued to give inaccurate information during the hearing when she was asked about the use of taxpayer money in DHS expenditures. Representative Joe Neguse pressed Noem for information on a $143 million advertising contract awarded to a company called “Safe America Media” which had only been registered eight days before receiving the contract and had no headquarters and no website.
The company is registered under the address of a political operative in Virginia. One of the subcontractors who is a part of the deal was linked to a political firm tied to Noem’s time as governor of South Dakota. These connections and lack of information raise serious concern around the misuse of taxpayer money and the possibility of embezzlement and fraud.
The government needs to conduct an investigation into the use of DHS funds and hold the department accountable. The corruption seen under this administration has corroded the ability to hold government officials accountable under rule of law.
Concerns about accountability extend beyond the contract as both parties also criticized Noem for the $220 million used for advertising on border security. The advertisements featured Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota, where she previously served as governor.
Republican Senator John Kennedy asked Noem, “The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?”
Noem responded saying yes, the president had approved the use of funding. In an interview following the hearing, Trump said that he did not sign off on the $220 million advertising campaign featuring Noem. It is likely that this was what pushed Trump to finally remove her from the position of Secretary.
Whether motivated by political pressure or damage control, the administration quickly removed Noem in the days following the hearings. Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin will replace Noem by the end of the month with congressional approval. It is unlikely that this change in leadership will restore trust in the department.
