Kristi Noem voted as US homeland security secretary in new Trump govt

The US Senate voted to confirm Kristi Noem as the Homeland Security Secretary in the new Trump administration.

The installation of a longtime Trump ally at the helm of an agency is poised to play a central role in the president's promised immigration crackdown, according to CNN.

The vote cast on Saturday, was bipartisan, 59-34, confirming Noem's appointment.

Noem, who has been serving as Governor of South Dakota since 2019, is a former state legislator and four-term congresswoman. She will now be tasked with leading Homeland Security, a sprawling department that oversees agencies such as US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US Secret Service.

 

The White House in a post on X said that Noem's confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security underscored Trump's commitment to strengthening their security.

"Kristi Noem's confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security underscores President Trump's commitment to strengthening our nation's security."

Following Saturday's vote, Noem in a statement, said she will prioritize securing the southern border and fixing "our broken immigration system," as reported by CNN.

"I will work every day to keep all Americans safe and secure. One of my top priorities is achieving President Trump's mandate from the American people to secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system," she stated.

"The Trump Administration will once-again empower our brave men and women in law enforcement to do their jobs and remove criminal aliens and illegal gangs from our country," Noem added.

In addition to immigration, Noem addressed a range of other issues during her confirmation hearing.

In response to questions from Democrats, she said that under her leadership "there will be no political bias" when it comes to disaster relief and there must be a focus on domestic terrorism, saying that "homegrown terrorism is on the rise," as she called the deadly New Year's truck attack in New Orleans "a horrific event", CNN reported.