Kristi Noem has been removed from her role as US homeland security secretary after more than a year of controversy and growing bipartisan criticism in Washington.

Noem was responsible for implementing the immigration crackdown central to the agenda of Donald Trump. During her tenure, deportations rose sharply, reaching around 675,000 in the president’s first year back in office. However, the figure still fell short of the White House’s stated target of one million removals annually.

Trump confirmed that Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, will replace her.

Noem’s time leading the Department of Homeland Security was repeatedly overshadowed by controversies — from disputed immigration raids and spending rows to viral moments that drew national attention.

Here are six of the biggest stories that defined her time in office.

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Fatal Minnesota immigration raids

The most serious crisis of Noem’s tenure followed immigration enforcement operations in the state of Minnesota.

The crackdown sparked large protests in the city of Minneapolis after two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot dead during confrontations with federal agents.

Noem publicly labelled both individuals “domestic terrorists”. However, later evidence, including mobile phone recordings and body-camera footage, raised questions about the official account of the incidents.

The controversy triggered criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Several Republican lawmakers joined Democrats in calling for Noem’s resignation.

During congressional hearings this week, Noem expressed sympathy to the families of the victims but did not withdraw her earlier comments.

Backlash over luxury government jets

Noem also faced scrutiny over spending decisions inside the Department of Homeland Security.

She authorised the purchase of two Gulfstream G700 luxury aircraft, with plans to add a third plane — a Boeing 737 — costing around $70m (£52m).

Critics questioned whether the purchases were an appropriate use of public funds.

Noem defended the acquisitions, saying the aircraft were intended as long-range “command and control” platforms that could also be used to transport deportees.

During a Senate hearing, one lawmaker displayed an image showing a bedroom installed on board one of the jets. Noem acknowledged the feature but said the aircraft was undergoing refurbishment.

The horseback immigration advert

Another controversy erupted over a $220m (£165m) advertising campaign aimed at encouraging migrants to voluntarily leave the United States.

The campaign featured Noem riding a horse across open prairie land while wearing a cowboy hat, accompanied by a herd of bison.

The advert urged undocumented migrants to “self-deport”.

Reports suggested the campaign irritated President Trump. When asked about it by reporters, he said he had never been aware of the commercial.

At a congressional hearing, John Kennedy pressed Noem over whether Trump had approved the campaign and questioned how advertising contracts had been awarded to firms with Republican connections.

“Blanketgate” and Corey Lewandowski

Another unusual controversy involved Noem’s close adviser Corey Lewandowski, who acted as her de facto chief of staff.

According to reports by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, Lewandowski blamed a Coast Guard pilot for misplacing Noem’s blanket during a flight transfer between aircraft.

The reports claimed Lewandowski entered the cockpit while the plane was ascending and demanded to know where the blanket was.

The incident quickly became known in Washington as “Blanketgate”.

Lewandowski disputed the reports, and during a later congressional hearing Noem rejected questions about rumours of a personal relationship between the two, calling them “tabloid garbage”. Both had previously denied claims of an affair.

Lewandowski is also expected to leave the department following Noem’s departure.

Prison photo-op in El Salvador

In March, Noem travelled to El Salvador to visit the country’s controversial maximum-security prison, Cecot prison.

The facility had agreed to accept deportees from the United States.

During the visit, Noem posed for photographs in front of detainees standing behind the bars of crowded cells.

The images circulated widely online, drawing criticism from human rights groups.

Observers also noted that she appeared to be wearing a $50,000 (£37,000) Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch during the visit.

The trip was not the first time Noem’s memoir had sparked controversy. Her 2024 book had previously been criticised after it included a claim that she once met Kim Jong Un — an anecdote that was later acknowledged to be inaccurate.

The dog story that went viral

One of the most widely discussed stories about Noem actually came from her own memoir.

In the book she described shooting the family’s 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket after concluding the dog was untrainable and dangerous.

Noem wrote that she led the animal to a gravel pit before killing it.

“It was not a pleasant job,” she wrote. “But it had to be done.”

The account sparked a major backlash online, though Noem defended the decision, saying difficult choices like that are sometimes necessary on farms.

“We love animals,” she wrote in a social media post. “But tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm.”

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 05.03 2026

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She was a truly horrific woman with a foul, l nasty, and black heart, who displayed an infinite level of hatred, racism, nastiness and cruelty. She deserves whatever is coming her way and hopefully it will be a lifetime of ridicule, scorn, embarrassment and difficulty. She richly deserves all of that.

Hopefully she will be the first of many Trump appointees that are thrown under the bus, much like we saw during his first Administration, as loyalty is not exactly a quality that Trump is known for.

Shooting the dog, a pointer, was disgusting. Pointers are intelligent and easy to train. She could at least have made the effort to find him another home. Awful woman.

Finally getting the comeuppence she deserved. If any of trumps subordinates thnk there job is safe ,they better think again. The grifter will sack and one that does not obey his highness.

As noted in OP, if there was one image to show this woman is PR tone-deaf, this is it (wearing her -- as reported -- $50,000 Rolex):

Homeland Security, reimagined as a personal branding exercise.

If vanity were a policy achievement, she’d have left office as the most accomplished official in DHS history!

6 hours ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

The dog story that went viral

One of the most widely discussed stories about Noem actually came from her own memoir.

In the book she described shooting the family’s 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket after concluding the dog was untrainable and dangerous.

Noem wrote that she led the animal to a gravel pit before killing it.

“It was not a pleasant job,” she wrote. “But it had to be done.”

The account sparked a major backlash online, though Noem defended the decision, saying difficult choices like that are sometimes necessary on farms.

“We love animals,” she wrote in a social media post. “But tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm.”

No dog is "untrainable." Owners can be bad caretakers who don't know how to train animals - I think she fits that description. She's a public figure and probably could have got Cesar Millan (Dog Whisperer) to help train the pup or to home the pup with is own pack.

Like so many in government, she is evil as well as power-hungry and corrupt. Her karma will eventually catch up. She should have been charged with animal cruelty.

3 hours ago, theshu25 said:

Finally getting the comeuppence she deserved. If any of trumps subordinates thnk there job is safe ,they better think again. The grifter will sack and one that does not obey his highness.

Not enough. She has to be investigated, and hopefully incarcerated for corruption, unlawful conduct, and lying under oath. This could happen as soon as Jan 27, when the Dems take over Congress.

The question is, will his orangeness pardon her?

4 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Shooting the dog, a pointer, was disgusting. Pointers are intelligent and easy to train. She could at least have made the effort to find him another home. Awful woman.

According to other reports the dog was a 'her' (a bitch) and so, allegedly, was the owner.

3 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

According to other reports the dog was a 'her' (a bitch) and so, allegedly, was the owner.

Good point. Missed that.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

She was a truly horrific woman

She still is....

Only thing bad about her is she was not hardline enough.

Too little illegals are out.

Patel jets around all the time for bootycall his GF.

Is she on Only Fans ? 😜

58 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Only thing bad about her is she was not hardline enough.

Too little illegals are out.

Patel jets around all the time for bootycall his GF.

Be careful what you wish for. Lot of Trump voters are now having (or have had) their spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, uncle, aunt or whatever deported. And then they scream "this is now what I voted for!!". While in fact it is exactly what they voted for. They just wished this upon others, not upon themselves.

From which swamp is he dredging these people up from?

20 hours ago, Jim Blue said:

From which swamp is he dredging these people up from?

The Louisiana Bayou. True Detective season 1 accurately captured the dank, spooky, voodoo atmosphere of that place, likely the darkest place in America. It's likely the only place you could dredge low life creatures such as Noem, Patel, Bessent, Miller, Vance, Bondi and the other creeps.

On 3/7/2026 at 10:55 AM, spidermike007 said:

She was a truly horrific woman with a foul, l nasty, and black heart, who displayed an infinite level of hatred, racism, nastiness and cruelty. She deserves whatever is coming her way and hopefully it will be a lifetime of ridicule, scorn, embarrassment and difficulty. She richly deserves all of that.

Hopefully she will be the first of many Trump appointees that are thrown under the bus, much like we saw during his first Administration, as loyalty is not exactly a quality that Trump is known for.

Voice of her master, though.

Wow.

I never noticed her eyebrows before just this moment:

Reminds me of Gene, but Gene was a good guy....

On 3/7/2026 at 1:28 PM, Jim Waldron said:

Homeland Security, reimagined as a personal branding exercise.

If vanity were a policy achievement, she’d have left office as the most accomplished official in DHS history!

Who dos not love to ride a horse for the media....

Did you say vanity?

14 hours ago, candide said:

Voice of her master, though.

Was Goring less innocent because he simply followed the dictates of Hitler?

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Was Goring less innocent because he simply followed the dictates of Hitler?

I don’t think he was trying to excuse Noem’s actions, just pointing out the mindless cult following ‘Befehl ist Befehl’ attitude. It’s the excuse that most German soldiers used after WWII, ‘we were just following orders’. Which is total BS, of course.

That’s probably also why Republicans and the far right got so mad when those 6 Democratic lawmakers made that video in which they told American soldiers that it is their duty to refuse to follow illegal/unlawful orders. That’s the opposite of what Trump and his ilk want, which is blind obedience to dear leader.