President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday he will nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as the Department of Homeland Security secretary when he takes office next year.
Trump, in a statement, cited Noem’s strong background in securing the border for the appointment as the soon-to-be 47th president looks to crack down on illegal immigration.
“Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times,” Trump, 78, stated.
“She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”
Noem, who first clinched the governorship in 2018, said she was humbled by the appointment to lead Homeland Security.
“I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again,” Noem said.
“With Donald Trump, we will secure the Border, and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue The American Dream.”
Homan was tapped to lead the incoming Trump administration’s battle against illegal immigration that exploded during the Biden presidency. He previously served a stint as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first term in office.
Before she was elected South Dakota governor, Noem served as the state’s lone member in the US House of Representatives for eight years. She also served in the South Dakota legislature for several years.
Noem, who is in the middle of her second term, was once considered a top contender to be Trump’s 2024 running mate, but ran into widespread outrage when she admitted in her memoir she published in May that she shot and killed her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket.
She claimed the pup’s “aggressive personality” made her untrainable as a hunting dog.
The Department of Homeland Security is tasked with border security, overseeing US Customs and Border Protection and ICE. It also is in charge of the US Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
