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The US Senate has voted to install Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary as Donald Trump moves quickly to implement his promised crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Upper House of Congress voted 59-34 to confirm South Dakota’s governor to lead the Department of Homeland Security, with a mandate to combat America’s border crisis.
During his first week in the White House, the president signed a flurry of executive orders that declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and ended the U.S. refugee resettlement program.
It also limited birthright citizenship, but the measure was temporarily halted by a federal court that ruled it unconstitutional. Trump vowed to appeal the order.
“Border security must remain a top priority,” Noem said last week during her confirmation hearing. “As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm.”
Noem’s confirmation comes after the Senate approved Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Pete Hegseth As Secretary of Defense, one of the President’s most controversial selections.
As Homeland Security secretary, Noem will also oversee the Secret Service, which came under scrutiny after two assassination attempts on Trump last year, one of which left him injured.
During her confirmation hearing, Noem said the Secret Service was in “serious need of reform.”
“We have all seen the threats to [president] Trump last year – and the consequences of failure,” she added.
Noem’s autobiography, which recounted how she shot her puppy cricket for misbehaving, became a national talking point last year.
