The Senate confirmed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Saturday to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security, putting her in charge of executing one of President Trump’s biggest priorities in his second term: cracking down on immigration.
Noem, a Republican, won confirmation in a 59-34 vote. She becomes the fourth person confirmed in Trump’s cabinet, following Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly appointed Secretary of Defense on Friday night after Vice President J.D. Vance cast a tie-breaking vote.
Noem is set to lead the department poised to be at the center of President Trump’s plans to crack down on immigration, including the various deportation efforts, visa changes and border security measures kicked off by the slew of executive actions signed by Trump since his return to office.
Noem, 53, has been a vocal advocate for Trump’s immigration agenda, as she explained to senators during her confirmation hearing.
“The reason that I asked for it is because I knew it was the president’s number one priority,” Noem told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, about why she is best for the role.
“I knew that it would be needed to have someone in the position, that would do what the president promised the American people and would be strong enough to do it,” she said.
During her confirmation hearing, Noem said she would partner with Trump to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, which would require certain asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their court hearing dates in the U.S., in an effort to limit the number of people waiting inside U.S. borders.
Noem also vowed to shut down the CPB One App, an app used by asylum seekers to petition for asylum with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. DHS cancelled all appointments within hours of Trump’s inauguration.
She has expressed support for ending birthright citizenship, which President Trump is seeking to do through an executive action. Legal experts broadly agree the president does not have the authority to revoke birthright citizenship through executive action, but rather doing so would require amending the Constitution. A U.S. judge has already temporarily blocked the order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Noem is expected to work to implement immigration policy set by Tom Homan, whom Trump has picked to serve as his “border czar,” and Stephen Miller, deputy chief or staff and a key architect of the president’s immigration agenda. She is also likely to work with Hegseth, as several of Trump’s executive actions involve military assistance to DHS for repatriation flights, building barriers at the southern border and more.
Noem will oversee more than 260,000 federal employees. In addition to overseeing agencies that deal with immigration and responding to natural disasters, Homeland Security works with the nation’s intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist threats.
