Noem fired from DHS amid agency shutdown, Trump taps Mullin as successor

Updated March 5 at 3:21 p.m.

Kristi Noem will step down as Homeland Security Department secretary at the end of the month, President Trump announced on Thursday, marking a new chapter in a tumultuous period for the agency that has overseen the administration’s controversial immigration crackdown. 

Trump will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to replace her, he said. He suggested the change would take effect March 31, though the DHS secretary requires Senate confirmation and the timing for such a vote is not yet clear. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. Noem will be the first cabinet secretary to leave their position in Trump's second term. 

DHS is currently shut down after its funding lapsed last month, though more than 90% of its employees are still working. Many of those are doing so without immediate pay. 

Noem’s firing came after she testified in Congress on back-to-back days this week, where she faced pointed questions from members of both parties on the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by DHS employees, the aggressive tactics used in immigration enforcement and the spending on a contract for advertising in which the secretary was featured prominently. Noem said Trump personally signed off on that spending, which Trump on Thursday denied to Reuters. 

Noem also presided over a rapid hiring surge at the department, focused primarily on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. ICE more than doubled its workforce in 2025, when it brought on more than 10,000 employees. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed into law last year provided $165 billion for DHS, including $16 billion for staffing. 

Mullin began serving in the House in 2013 and in the Senate in 2023. Trump called him a “MAGA warrior” and said the senator “knows the wisdom and courage required to advance our America first agenda.” 

“Markwayne will work tirelessly to keep our border secure, stop migrant crime, murders and other criminals for illegally entering our country, end the scourge of illegal drugs and make America safe again,” Trump said. “Markwayne will make a spectacular secretary of Homeland Security.” 

Mullin told reporters his selection was "a little bit of a surprise," but that he was "excited about this opportunity." 

"There's a lot of work we need to do and I'm excited about it," Mullin said. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Noem's removal would not lead to a change in Democrats' strategy in holding up DHS funding. 

"This is a problem of policy, not personnel," Schumer said. "The rot is deep. No one person can straigthen this up until the president changes the whole agency, stops the violence and reins in ICE." 

Trump said Noem will become special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, an upcoming conference on western hemisphere security. The secretary said on Thursday she looked forward to her new role and celebrated her accomplishments at DHS, including overseeing mass deportations, providing disaster relief and cutting costs at the department. 

"We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again," Noem said. 

This story has been updated with additional detail.