Kristi Noem Confirmed as President Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem, the former Governor of South Dakota, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security secretary on Saturday. Noem, who shares Trump’s hardline immigration views, was confirmed by a vote of 59 to 34 in a Republican-led Senate.
Noem, who has been critical of illegal immigration, describing it as an “invasion,” was asked during her confirmation hearing how the Trump administration would handle workers without legal status in the agricultural sector. She replied that the administration would focus on criminal offenders and those with final deportation orders, but did not specify that farm workers would be protected.
As a governor, Noem has had experience with border security, deploying dozens of South Dakota National Guard troops to assist the state of Texas with border security. Her family ranch, which has hired temporary farm workers with guest visas since 2015, has faced criticism from conservative groups who argue that the use of temporary agricultural workers undercuts wages and slows technological adaptation.
Noem’s confirmation brings a key member of President Trump’s Cabinet online, as he launches a wide-ranging immigration crackdown and works to implement a series of executive orders aimed at tightening border security and increasing deportations. She will lead the 260,000-employee U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border security, deportations, and legal immigration paperwork, as well as emergency response, cybersecurity, and the U.S. Coast Guard and Secret Service.
