President Donald Trump announced on March 5 that he is removing Kristi Noem from her role as Secretary of Homeland Security and will nominate Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace her, effective March 31, 2026.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)” and that she will now become the “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a position tied to the new Western Hemisphere security initiative.
This marks the first Cabinet secretary to be removed during Trump’s second term, although Trump has positioned Noem as a leader of this new regional strategy rather than leaving the administration entirely.
What is ‘The Shield of the Americas’?
“The Shield of the Americas” is a new US security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere that President Trump plans to formally announce at a summit this weekend in Doral, Florida with leaders from more than a dozen Latin American countries.
The initiative, which Trump described in his announcement as aimed at strengthening regional cooperation on safety and security, represents a broader push by the administration to expand US diplomatic and strategic efforts across North, Central, and South America.
Trump has tied the initiative to issues such as combatting organized crime, strengthening border security, coordinating on migration challenges, and confronting shared threats in the hemisphere.
The summit this Saturday will bring together heads of state and government officials from nations including Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and others for discussions on these topics.
Noem, speaking in Nashville ahead of the summit, confirmed she will attend and indicated Trump will unveil “a big agreement” at the meeting outlining “how we’re going to go after cartels and drug trafficking in the entire Western Hemisphere.” Her comments underscore that the new role is intended to focus on multinational cooperation against transnational crime and insecurity.
Noem’s reaction to her ouster
After Trump’s announcement, Noem took to
“Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.”
She added that she is looking forward to working with administration officials “to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”
Noem also touted accomplishments from her time at DHS, saying the department “delivered the MOST secure border in American history” and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had “delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate.”
