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