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U.S. President Donald Trump has fired Kristi Noem as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and replaced her with Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin.

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Trump made the announcement Thursday afternoon on his Truth Social platform.

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“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,” he wrote.

Noem thanked for service

The president thanked Noem for her service and said she will head the country’s new security initiative as the Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas by the end of the month.

“A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,” Trump said. “As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities.”

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Trump’s announcement came shortly before Noem made an appearance in Nashville to address a law enforcement event.

If was unknown if Noem was made aware of Trump’s announcement as she didn’t mention her firing and only read from a prepared speech.

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Tasked with immigration crackdown

Noem, tasked with overseeing the president’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in the country and mass deportation efforts, faced tough questions from Democrats as well as Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee over her leadership at the department during the hearing earlier this week.

She came under fire after two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot dead in Minneapolis two months ago protesting the tactics by federal immigration agents.

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The killings of Good and Pretti led to a public outcry over government accountability as there has been no charges that have been laid.

Questioned during Senate hearing

Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin repeatedly questioned Noem’s comments following their deaths and called on her to apologize.

“You and your agency rushed to brand these victims as, quote, domestic terrorists,” Durbin said. “We have ample video evidence and eyewitness testimony proving you are wrong. Your statements caused immeasurable pain to these families.”

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Noem said she relied on information from the scene in both shootings and accused “violent protesters” for contributing to the chaos officers faced.

“I was getting reports from the ground from agents at the scene, and I would say that it was a chaotic scene, as you’ve seen in Minneapolis and St. Paul,” she said. The officers “worked at targeting the worst of the worst” and many times faced violence from protesters, she added.

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Republican sought resignation

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis called on her to resign at the hearing over her handling of the immigration crackdown, NBC News reported. He also criticized Noem for shooting her dog dead, as well as a goat, which she described the pet in her memoir as “untrainable.”

“You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested the appropriate time in training,” Tillis said. “And then you have the audacity to go into a book and say it’s a leadership lesson about tough choices?”

Noem is the first cabinet secretary to leave the Trump administration during the president’s second term in the Oval Office.

— with files from The Associated Press

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