President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that he has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which focuses on border security, emergency relief and cybersecurity.
In Tuesday night's announcement, President Trump highlighted Noem's move as governor to deploy the National Guard to Texas' southern border, claiming she was “very strong” on border security.
“She will work closely with 'Border Czar' Tom Homan to secure the border and ensure that the American mainland is safe from adversaries. I have known Christie for years and have been with her extensively “We have been working together on projects that are a big part of our mission to make America safe again,” President Trump said in a statement.
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gestures during the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress on February 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Noem said she was “honored and humbled” to be selected.
“Together with Donald Trump, we will secure our borders, restore safety to American communities, and ensure that families once again have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream,” she said.
Noem, a former congresswoman, was elected governor in 2018 and is up for re-election in 2022. She and her husband Byron have three children.
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Noem's selection came as a surprise to some political watchers, but a person familiar with the appointment told Fox News Digital that Noem would be able to help other states by sending the National Guard to the border rather than providing more general assistance. He said he had set a precedent. She also brings experience in other parts of the agency's mission.
Noem banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2022, citing the company's ties to China. Separately, Dakota State University has one of the top cyber departments in the nation, and cybersecurity is the fastest growing industry in South Dakota, an expansion encouraged by Noem. According to the governor's website, the state invested $90 million in DSU to expand its cyber program and enable high school students to take classes for college credit. The state announced last year that the sector had added thousands of jobs over the years, growing 25%.
Noem has deep experience with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as the state has dealt with flooding, including in June, when the state experienced record flooding. FEMA has been mired in controversy this year over its response to hurricanes, and will likely come under significant scrutiny in the coming months and years.
A group claiming to be of Indian origin sits behind the border wall to be picked up by Border Patrol agents after crossing the border fence in the Tucson area of the U.S.-Mexico border, Aug. 29, 2023. , Organ Pipe Cactus National) monument near Lukeville, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
On border security, Noem supported a moratorium on immigration from terrorist-prone areas. As governor, she pledged to accept no more immigrants from the Biden administration in 2021. Sources say she is particularly aligned with President-elect Trump on border security, prioritizing national security and public safety threats from deportations.
“My message to illegal immigrants: Please call me when you become an American,” she said on Facebook in 2021.
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Noem briefly sparked controversy earlier this year when she revealed in her memoir that she had shot and killed the family dog, saying it posed a danger to people.
Her appointment came as a surprise to some, but she has support from key figures, including former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
“Governor Noem is an excellent choice,” he said. “She has been a successful governor and has been proactive in supporting Border Patrol missions with the National Guard. She also has extensive experience working with FEMA on natural disasters. I am confident she will be successful.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has been on the front lines of the crisis, said he was an “excellent choice.”
“Governor Noem is a border hawk and has worked with me to secure Texas' borders,” he told X.
“She has a no-nonsense rule of law approach to repairing America from the carnage caused by Biden’s open borders policy.”
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The selection follows a number of other hawkish appointments in the Trump administration. This week, he announced that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Commissioner Tom Homan will become “border czar.”
On Wednesday, President Trump officially announced that Stephen Miller, who spearheaded much of the immigration policy during his first term, would become his chief of staff and deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security.
