WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump on Thursday replaced his embattled Homeland Security Secretary , after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown and disaster response.
Trump, who said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. in her place, made the announcement on social media after Noem faced this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.
Noem鈥檚 departure marks a stunning turnaround for a close ally to the president who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of . But she appeared to increasingly become a liability for Trump, with questions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermath of the shooting in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Trump said Noem 鈥渉as served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).鈥� He said he was making her a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,鈥� a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Noem, who appeared at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Tennessee, moments after Trump’s announcement, did not address her ouster there. She read from prepared remarks and was not asked by attendees about the development.
Later, in a social media post, she thanked Trump for the new appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary.
鈥淲e have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,鈥� she wrote.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called 鈥渆xtraordinarily qualified,鈥� confirmed to lead DHS 鈥渁s soon as possible.鈥�
The administration’s immigration crackdown faced criticism, especially in Minnesota
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump鈥檚 second term. Her tenure looked increasingly short-lived after hearings in Congress this week where she faced rare but blistering criticism from Republican lawmakers. One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
Noem told lawmakers that Trump was aware of the campaign in advance, but Trump disputed that in an interview Thursday with Reuters, saying he did not sign off on the ad campaign.
Noem has faced waves of criticism as she鈥檚 overseen Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown, especially since the shooting in Minneapolis at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of and , Noem portrayed both of them as aggressors, contradicting widely viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologize for her Congressional testimony.
The former South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has allocated to it by Congress.
Her department, DHS, has been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Even before Noem鈥檚 appearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican lawmakers had been anticipating the secretary鈥檚 eventual ouster, particularly after her handling of the immigration .
As they tried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that should prompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund the department again, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability for the GOP, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
Aside from immigration, Noem also faced criticism 鈥� including from Republicans 鈥� over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for the Trump administration鈥檚 response to disasters.
Critics welcomed Noem’s departure. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote 鈥済ood riddance鈥� on social media, a sentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentally disagree with.
鈥淭his is not accountability, just a reshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump,” said Vanessa C谩rdenas, Executive Director of America鈥檚 Voice, an advocacy group. She said Noem鈥檚 tenure was 鈥渕arked by cruelty.鈥�
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noem鈥檚 watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noem鈥檚 tenure.
鈥淪he is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others weren鈥檛 even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,鈥� Bovino told The Associated Press.
DHS leadership changes come at a pivotal time
Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Voting in the Senate just after Trump’s announcement, Mullin said he has 鈥渘o idea鈥� how quickly his nomination will move.
鈥淭he president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously I鈥檓 gonna be over there a lot more,鈥� he said.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trump鈥檚 hardline immigration agenda. And he would assume the role at a pivotal time for that agenda.
Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trump鈥檚 administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names, often led by Bovino, who reported directly to Noem. Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
But those high-profile operations in places like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis often led to clashes with activists and protesters that were captured on video and drove opposition to the president鈥檚 immigration agenda.
That culminated with the shooting deaths in Minneapolis after which Trump shuffled leadership of the operation. The number of officers there was drawn down shortly after.
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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.
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