Kristi Noem, Trump’s Homeland Security pick, faces senators’ scrutiny on immigration
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WASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency central to his vision of cracking down on illegal immigration, faced senators Friday at a confirmation hearing and promised to be a tough hand in carrying out the president-elect’s plans for the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.
Noem, a two-term governor and former U.S. congresswoman, was chosen by the president-elect to lead the department responsible for immigration and border-related actions that will be central to his plans for mass deportations and tightened access at the border.
Noem acknowledged that her nomination as Homeland Security secretary was “a bit of surprise” to many, but said she asked for the job because “it was the president’s No. 1 priority.”
“I knew that it needed to have someone in the position that would do what the president promised the American people,” Noem said, someone “strong enough to do it and follow through to make sure that we’re protecting our communities and America.”
She would replace outgoing Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, who was so vilified by Republicans angry at the number of migrants crossing the country’s southern border that they impeached him in early 2024.
How will Mexican leaders respond if, as expected, Trump pressures them to accept deportees from third countries? ‘Mexico is in a really tough spot.’
The immigration and border-related agencies Noem would oversee include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Citizenship and Immigration Services. The department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more. Six people cycled through the Homeland Security secretary position during Trump’s first administration.
She appears to have strong backing from GOP senators. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the Republican chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said he would be looking for Noem “to lead an agency that has lost its way.”
Arrivals at the border are the lowest they’ve been since incoming President Trump first left office in 2021.
Her supporters said Friday her background of growing up on a farm and governing a rural state would give her the skills needed to implement Trump’s plans.
Democrats questioned whether she is qualified to lead a department that is crucial to the country’s safety. They asked about her plans to manage the border with Canada, oversee disaster response and shore up cybersecurity.
Noem told the committee that she thought that the cybersecurity and intelligence programs at the Department of Homeland Security have become “incredibly siloed.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat on the committee, said he had “serious doubts” about her ability to manage “this huge organization of such serious consequence to national security.”
Blumenthal insisted that Noem answer his questions on whether she would stand up to Trump if he asked her to withhold disaster relief money from certain states. Noem avoided saying that she would defy Trump but said, “I will deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias.”
Noem became a regular presence in Trump’s orbit in recent years and at one point was in consideration as his running mate.
After becoming governor, Noem started working closely with Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she rose to prominence in conservative circles for resisting most government regulations to slow the spread of infections, as well as taking a brash tone on conservative priorities.
Depending on whom you ask, the federal immigration app CBP One is a solution to the border crisis, a human rights violation or a ploy to let anyone into the U.S.
Noem said she was determined to carry out Trump’s plans to choke off illegal immigration and deport millions of migrants.
She committed to ending the use of CBP One, a phone app the Biden administration used to schedule asylum applications at the border. She pledged to scale back humanitarian parole, curtail the use of temporary immigration relief for migrants from countries experiencing unrest, and reinstate a Trump policy of requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for U.S. immigration hearings.
Noem said she would prioritize deporting migrants with criminal records, then turn to those who have received final deportation orders.
As governor, Noem joined other Republican governors who sent National Guard troops to Texas to assist in Operation Lone Star, which sought to discourage migrants. The decision was met with particularly harsh criticism because Noem covered most of the deployment cost with a $1-million donation from a Tennessee billionaire who has given money to Republicans.
Noem said she opted to send National Guard troops “because of this invasion.” She said “it is a war zone down there.”
Santana and Groves write for the Associated Press.
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