US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as his next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects - She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again,” Trump said in a statement announcing the move.
Noem said in a statement, “I am honored and humbled that President Donald J. Trump has selected me to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again. With Donald Trump, we will secure the Border, and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue The American Dream.”
Although Noem does not represent a border state, she has a long history of taking hardline positions on immigration. As a candidate for Congress in 2010, she supported an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Senate Republicans to thwart an Obama administration lawsuit challenging an Arizona immigration law.
She also has called for punishment of the “sanctuary cities” that protected undocumented immigrants by not cooperating with federal agencies during Trump’s first term.
Noem is a Trump loyalist who was one of the earliest governors to endorse him ahead of his 2024 run for president.
Trump, in turn, has called Noem a “terrific person,” and once considered her a top potential running mate before ultimately choosing JD Vance.
Earlier this year, Noem signed into law a bill requiring the consideration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism in investigations of unfair or discriminatory practices in the state.
Then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised Noem after she signed the law, describing her as “a true friend of Israel”.