President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota to lead the Homeland Security Department, a critical agency responsible for enforcing US immigration laws. As secretary, Ms. Noem will play a key role in carrying out Mr. Trump’s promises to crack down on border crossings and deport millions of people.
Ms. Noem’s appointment comes as part of Mr. Trump’s plan to aggressively police the border and scale up deportation operations nationwide. She has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, calling them “open border” policies that facilitate illegal crossers. In 2023, she sent National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border to help Gov. Greg Abbott police the border.
As governor, Ms. Noem has taken action on immigration enforcement and made history by sending National Guard troops to aid in border policing. She has also vowed to refuse entry to unauthorized migrants and stated that South Dakota will not accept any relocation of illegal immigrants from President Biden’s administration.
Ms. Noem will lead an agency responsible for entities like the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Her appointment is seen as a key part of Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda, which has been marked by controversy and criticism.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/us/politics/kristi-noem-homeland-security-secretary-trump.html