Nov. 12 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security of his incoming administration.
Tasked with customs, border and immigration enforcement, the DHS is a department that will be in the spotlight once Trump takes the White House in January, as he heavily campaigned on taking a hardline stance toward immigration, often attracting accusations of fear mongering in his depictions of migrants.
In a statement, Trump described Noem as being “very strong on Border Security,” stating that she was the first Republican governor to send National Guard troops to the Texas border in 2021, deploying 50 of them that June.
Trump said she will work closely with his former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Thomas Homan, whom the president-elect named Sunday as his so-called border czar, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
“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.
Noem is the first woman to be elected South Dakota governor, a position she has held for two terms.
Before being elected governor in 2018, she served as the Mount Rushmore State’s only representative in the U.S. House since 2010.
In a statement, Noem said she was “honored and humbled” by the nomination.
“I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again,” she said.
“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.”
An ally of Trump, Noem was considered for his potential running mate until Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was chosen to be the vice presidential nominee.
Noem came under fire amid speculation that she may run alongside Trump after her memoir, No Going Back, was published. In the book, she falsely claimed to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and described fatally shooting a dog she considered dangerous, both of which attracted backlash.
She was also banned from nine indigenous tribes in her state, covering more than 12% of South Dakota, after stating earlier this year that tribal leaders were profiting off drug cartels.
The Department of Homeland Security was founded in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. If appointed, as expected, Noem will be the third woman to serve as secretary.