KEY PLAYER PROFILE

Kristi Noem

Secretary of Homeland Security

Kristi Noem was raised on a family ranch and farm in rural South Dakota. She left college early to return home and run the family business less than a year after her father was killed in a farm machinery accident. As she grew the business, she also pursued an interest in politics, winning a 2006 seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives. She served in that body until 2010, rising to the role of assistant majority leader for the Republican Party.

Noem ran for South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 and won. She held that seat until 2018 and, while in that role, earned a BA in political science in 2012. While in Congress she served on the Ways and Means Committee, pushing her party’s leadership to make significant cuts in federal government spending.

In 2016, Noem announced she would run for governor of her home state, eventually winning two years later with an endorsement from Donald Trump. She was reelected in 2022. During her tenure as governor she was a staunch supporter of Trump administration policies, as well as a fierce critic of the Biden administration, particularly on immigration. A devout Christian, she opposes abortions under all circumstances and is an outspoken advocate for gun ownership.

She rose to national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the very few U.S. governors who refused to institute a mandatory mask policy during the height of transmissions. She took a markedly hands-off approach to the pandemic, using relief funds to promote tourism during a surge in cases in the state.

Throughout her tenure as governor, Noem survived several controversies including her intervention on her daughter’s behalf, helping her secure a real estate license; a conflict with Native American tribes in South Dakota that led tribal leaders to ban Noem from tribal land; and a $400,000 renovation of the governor’s mansion, including a bill for $68,000 for a rug, sauna, and chandelier.

Originally rumored as a potential 2024 vice presidential running mate, President Trump ultimately nominated Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security despite the fact that Noem has scant experience related to national security or immigration issues. She has, nevertheless, remained rhetorically in step with President Trump on matters related to national security, particularly with regard to management of the southern border and immigration policy.

In 2021, Noem announced she was sending members of the South Dakota National Guard to Texas’ border with Mexico. She also publicly offered to drive to Texas herself to deliver razor wire that could be used as part of border security. Later she did in fact travel to the border region to help erect sections of chain-linked fencing with razor wire.

It’s widely expected that she will play a supportive role on immigration policy, which many believe will be run out of the White House by Stephen Miller, one of the president’s closest advisors.

SOURCES:

Noem’S IDEAS

  • Border Security

    Noem has characterized the situation at the southern border as a “war” waged by cartels. “The invasion is coming over our southern border,” she said in a 2024 interview. “The 50 states have a common enemy, and that enemy is the Mexican drug cartels.” She supports President Trump’s efforts to close the southern border to potential immigrants whenever possible, including by declaration of a federal security or health emergency, as he did in 2020 with the Covid pandemic.

  • Border Wall

    Noem supports efforts to build a wall along the southern border – regardless of whether it is the federal government or the states that are pursuing such an outcome. She has repeatedly expressed support for Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s efforts to erect more barriers along the border in his state.

  • Detention

    Noem supports all aspects of mass deportations including increasing the capacity of the federal government to hold undocumented immigrants in detention while they await deportation.

  • Immigration Courts

    No statement found.

  • Undocumented Population

    Noem uses the phrase “invasion” to describe the undocumented population in the U.S. She supports President Trump’s plans to deport as much of the undocumented population as possible.

  • ICE

    Noem supports increasing resources to the agency in order to be able to carry out mass deportations.

  • DACA

    Noem has said she supports the Trump administration’s move to strike down the policy that has allowed young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to stay in the country. She has voted to ban DACA recipients from serving in the military.

  • Asylum & Refugees

    Noem did not permit South Dakota to receive refugees through the resettlement program under the Biden administration. She supports a pause in accepting migrants from terrorist “hot spots,” such as Syria and Iraq.

  • Central America Policies

    No statement found.

  • Visas

    Noem supported President Trump’s “muslim ban” in 2017. She has expressed a desire for immigrants to enter the country legally but has not put forward any visa possibilities that could help make such entries possible. Further, she has questioned some existing programs that allow legal entry into the country, such as the EB-5, which permits foreign nationals to gain residency status by making a minimum investment in the U.S. economy.

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