President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response.
Trump said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place and make Noem a “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
Trump said he is appointing Noem to serve as his “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas” as he announced her ouster from DHS.
Trump is gathering with the leaders of 11 Latin American countries for a “Shield” summit on Saturday at his golf club in Doral, Florida.
The name of the gathering is supposed to reflect Trump’s vision for U.S. national security strategy to put a greater emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, as he looks to leverage U.S. military and intelligence assets unseen in the region since the end of the Cold War.
Noem, speaking in Nashville, confirmed she will be at the summit and that Trump will announce “a big agreement” that will detail “how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.”
“Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” Noem wrote on X.
She added that she looked forward to working with top administration officials “to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”
She also said that, during her tenure, the department “delivered the MOST secure border in American history” and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had “delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate.”
The post followed Noem making no mention of being ousted during a more than 30-minute address and question-and-answer session at a law enforcement event in Nashville.
Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noem’s watch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, was one of the few who applauded Noem’s tenure on Thursday.
“She is the best Secretary I ever worked for, period. The others weren’t even close. Noem is the ultimate patriot who cared deeply about the Mean Green Team, and I am privileged to know and work for her,” Bovino wrote to the AP.
The Mean Green Team refers to the Border Patrol, whose agents wear green uniforms.
Trump removed Bovino from Minneapolis after federal authorities killed nurse Alex Pretti, an act that Bovino and Noem immediately defended and attacked Pretti as the aggressor despite video evidence that appeared to contradict them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.