Kristi Noem, the president said, would be moving to a special envoy position and will be replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he is replacing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) in a move that will go into effect by the end of the month.
“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The move to replace Noem with Mullin will take place on March 31, he said.
Trump added that Noem “served us well” and had “numerous and spectacular results,” namely with respect to the U.S.–Mexico border’s security. Noem, a former governor from South Dakota, will be leaving for a newly created post, the special envoy of the shield of the Americas, he wrote.
The special envoy position will be announced in an event on Saturday in Doral, Florida, the president added.
Noem wrote in a post on X that she is thanking Trump for naming her as the special envoy for the shield of the Americas position.
Under her tenure, DHS had “historic accomplishments” including deporting 3 million illegal immigrants since Trump was sworn in last year, locating 145,000 children, and other accomplishments, she said.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Mullin said in a live interview with an ABC News reporter that he’s “super excited about this opportunity” and added he’s “great friends” with Trump.
“I wasn’t expecting the call today,” he told the news outlet, adding that he is “ready to get started” and his “focus is to keep the homeland secure.”
Mullin praised Noem “as a friend” and said he supported her role as head of the DHS, adding she had a difficult job to perform.
Mullin said he and the Trump administration will now work toward getting confirmed in the Senate and will speak with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
At least one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), wrote Thursday in a post on X he would back Mullin to head DHS.
In the Truth Social post, Trump praised Mullin as an individual who “will work tirelessly” to secure the U.S.–Mexico border and deal with “migrant crime, murderers, and other criminals from illegally entering” the United States.
Noem’s departure as the head of DHS comes in the midst of a tumultuous time for the department, coming weeks after federal immigration agents were involved in two shooting deaths in Minneapolis after officers were surged to the city.
During an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on March 3, Noem was asked about the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis during incidents in January. Democratic lawmakers criticized her for the department’s efforts in the city—as well as other efforts targeting illegal immigration—and claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have used excessive force.
Noem defended her department and the efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, saying that ICE agents are following the law in the face of violent protests. A number of Republicans in the hearing backed her assertions and said that she is working to deal with mass illegal immigration that was not dealt with under the previous presidential administration.
She also faced questions about a letter sent by Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, who said that DHS leadership has “systematically obstructed” his office’s work in 11 instances, including one criminal investigation. Cuffari added the department was not allowed to access databases or take other steps that were necessary for their investigations.
Responding to the allegations, Noem denied the accusation and said Cuffari hadn’t outlined what information he wanted and the timeline for his request.
Aside from the questioning, a number of Democratic lawmakers had said they might work to impeach Noem following the shooting of Pretti. Some, like Fetterman, called on Trump to remove her instead.
“DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary,” Fetterman wrote in a post in January, calling for her termination.
DHS has remained partially shut down for weeks in the wake of the shootings. Democrats have said they would opt to re-fund the agency if ICE agents were forced to adhere to stricter rules.
Mullin, meanwhile, has mounted a defense of DHS in several media appearances since the shutdown started, including during an interview in mid-February with CNN where he accused Democrats of engaging in “political theater.”
“They’re not stopping the Border Patrol from doing their job. All this is a political theater because the State of the Union is coming up a week from Tuesday,” the Republican senator told CNN.
“If this was really a serious conversation, they wouldn’t be holding the [Transportation Security Administration] workers or [Federal Emergency Management Agency] or the Coast Guard hostage over something that cannot be done by the ridiculous shutdown of DHS,” Mullin said.
Democrats expressed support for Noem leaving the DHS.
“This proves that lawlessness is not a winning strategy,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told The Epoch Times.
“She’s been an absolute disaster,” Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) told reporters. “And I was just saying it’s probably the most popular decision that Trump’s made as president.”
Republicans praised Mullin.
“He’s gonna do a great job. He’s an executive. He knows the books. He knows how to be able to deal with the issues,” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), his Senate counterpart, told reporters.
“Senator Mullin is a friend who has spent a lot of time working on issues related to our homeland security and has the trust and confidence of the President. He will do a great job and has my full support,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said on X.