Kristi Noem
Kristi Noem served as Secretary of Homeland Security during the early months of the Trump administration's second term, overseeing the initial phase of large-scale immigration enforcement operations. She previously served as Governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025. She departed the Cabinet position in mid-2025.
2026 Events (8)
DHS Inspector General opens audit of ICE warehouse-detention buys made about 13% above market value across multiple states
On May 14, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General announced an audit of whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acquired warehouse properties — being converted into detention facilities under a multibillion-dollar program launched by then-Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski — "in a cost-effective manner." Real-estate data tracker CoStar found DHS paid an average of about 13% above market value for warehouses across multiple states; aggregate spending on the warehouse program has been reported at about $1 billion across eight states. The OIG also opened a separate investigation of Mr. Lewandowski's role as a special government employee.
CNN revealed FEMA contractor Kara Voorhies exercised de facto agency authority in violation of federal regulations
On March 29, 2026, CNN reported that Kara Voorhies, an outside contractor installed at DHS by Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski, exercised de facto governing authority over FEMA — approving disaster-aid disbursements, reviewing White House-bound documents, and influencing personnel and budget decisions — despite federal regulations barring contractors from exercising inherently governmental functions. The DHS Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into contracting practices under Noem; investigators seized Voorhies's government-issued equipment after her termination following Noem's departure.
DHS systematically obstructed its inspector general; Noem sought list of OIG probes to weigh ending
In a March 2 letter released to Congress and first reported on March 3, 2026, DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said the Department of Homeland Security had "systematically obstructed" his office's work, citing at least 10 oversight matters in which DHS denied or delayed access to records and revoked OIG access to critical databases including BorderStat, TECS, Secure Flight, and the Unified Immigration Portal. Cuffari also disclosed that Secretary Kristi Noem had requested a list of all pending OIG matters, including criminal investigations, so she could weigh whether any should be terminated. The disclosure prompted Sen. Gary Peters, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, to open an investigation into potential obstruction of the inspector general's oversight and communications to Congress.
DHS and ICE barred clergy from providing pastoral care to detainees at Minneapolis's Whipple building during Metro Surge
Since Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025, Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis systematically barred clergy from providing pastoral care to immigration detainees, citing shifting "security" and "safety" justifications with no written policy. Documented incidents include Father Christopher Collins being blocked from praying with a detained woman in December 2025 and a reverend being denied entry on Ash Wednesday 2026 while attempting to administer ashes to detainees. The pattern was publicly disclosed in detail on February 23, 2026, when the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Father Collins sued DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, alleging First Amendment and Religious Freedom Restoration Act violations.
DHS admitted its 'Worst of the Worst' immigrant database mischaracterized hundreds of listings after CNN review
DHS launched a public website in December 2025 branding arrested immigrants the "worst of the worst," heavily promoted by Secretary Kristi Noem and the White House to justify aggressive immigration enforcement. A CNN review published February 19, 2026 found hundreds of the roughly 25,000 people listed were described as convicted of or arrested for serious crimes like homicide or sex offenses when the underlying charges were traffic violations, marijuana possession, or illegal reentry; DHS attributed the errors to a "glitch" affecting about 5 percent of entries.
Chief Judge Schiltz found ICE, DHS Secretary Noem, and Acting Director Lyons defied 'dozens' of court orders; summoned Lyons over contempt
On January 26, 2026, Minnesota Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ordered Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, to personally appear in federal court to explain why he should not be held in contempt, finding that Lyons, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the acting ICE director of the agency's St. Paul field office had failed to comply with "dozens of court orders" in recent weeks. The order arose from ICE's failure to hold a court-ordered bond hearing for detainee Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, or release him, within seven days as a January 14, 2026 order had required. DHS called Schiltz an "activist judge" and did not address the specific findings of noncompliance.
DHS denies Minneapolis immigration detainees, including a U.S. citizen, access to lawyers
During Operation Metro Surge, federal agents held people swept up in Minneapolis-area immigration raids — including at least one U.S. citizen — inside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building and systematically denied them access to attorneys. Lawyers reported being turned away for days with shifting, legally invalid excuses, while detainees were allowed an outgoing call only after being booked and transferred to out-of-state facilities. DHS denied any violation, but the pattern was corroborated by four named attorneys, two U.S. senators, and a class-action suit that produced a March 2026 court order requiring prompt attorney access before any transfer.
DHS Secretary Noem terminated Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, stripping deportation protection from about 2,500 Somalis
On January 14, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, effective March 17, 2026, stating that "country conditions in Somalia have improved" and that continued protection was "contrary to our national interests." The termination affects approximately 2,500 Somali nationals — 1,082 people enrolled in TPS as of December 8, 2025, plus 1,383 pending applicants — making them eligible for deportation. The announcement came amid an ongoing ICE enforcement surge in Minneapolis, home to the nation's largest Somali-American community, and after President Trump had made repeated derogatory public statements about Somali immigrants.
2025 Events (26)
DHS Secretary Noem terminated Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia, stripping about 5,000 Ethiopians of protection
On December 15, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published a Federal Register notice terminating Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia, effective February 13, 2026, stripping protected status from roughly 5,000 Ethiopian nationals. DHS said country conditions in Ethiopia had sufficiently improved, a rationale the State Department's own concurrent Level 3 "reconsider travel" advisory -- citing active armed conflict, crime, kidnapping, and terrorism -- contradicted. A federal judge initially postponed the termination as likely arbitrary and pretextual before ultimately allowing it to take effect in August 2026.
DHS terminated Temporary Protected Status for South Sudanese nationals over disputed 'improved conditions' claim
On November 5, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudanese nationals, effective January 5, 2026, justifying it by citing "renewed peace" in South Sudan following a 2018 peace agreement. On December 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley granted an emergency injunction blocking the termination, ruling in a lawsuit brought by African Communities Together that DHS had acted unlawfully and citing a United Nations panel report describing ongoing armed conflict and near-record food insecurity in South Sudan. The administration has separately pursued TPS terminations for Syria, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
Coast Guard awards $172M no-bid contract for two Gulfstream G700 jets for DHS Secretary Noem and leadership
On October 17, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard approved a $172 million no-bid contract — with a total estimated cost of $200 million — to purchase two Gulfstream G700 private jets for use by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other DHS leadership, even as a government shutdown had halted other federal services. DHS had previously sought funding for a single aircraft at a projected cost of $50 million; the no-bid contract for two jets at four times that estimate drew immediate criticism from House Appropriations Democrats, who alleged the purchase was made to benefit Noem personally.
DHS final rule granted USCIS arrest authority and deadly force, transforming civilian benefits agency into armed law enforcement arm
On September 4, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule giving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sweeping new law enforcement powers, including the authority to carry firearms, use deadly force, make arrests, and execute warrants. USCIS will employ 1811-classified special agents — the same designation as FBI and DEA agents — despite being created by Congress exclusively as a civilian benefits-processing agency. The rule takes effect 30 days from publication, creating parallel enforcement infrastructure alongside ICE and CBP without congressional authorization.
DHS Secretary Noem terminated 2021 TPS designation for Venezuela, stripping deportation protection from ~250,000 Venezuelans
On September 3, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the 2021 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela, affecting approximately 250,000 Venezuelans enrolled under the Biden-era grant. Noem cited "national interest" and determined Venezuela no longer met TPS statutory requirements, setting an effective end date of November 7, 2025. A federal court blocked the termination within three days on September 6, 2025, finding the administration likely lacked statutory authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
DHS opened 'Camp 57' ICE detention unit inside Angola prison's former solitary-confinement wing for civil immigration detainees
On September 3, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the opening of "Camp 57," an ICE detention facility inside Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), occupying the facility's former Camp J solitary-confinement wing — a section shuttered approximately seven years earlier after cell locks malfunctioned, dozens of weapons were found, and more than 80 staff resigned or were fired for misconduct. The facility opened with 51 civil immigration detainees and a stated capacity of 416; courts later ordered four detainees released citing conditions.
USCIS added undefined 'anti-Americanism' as disqualifying factor in all immigration benefit adjudications
On August 19, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual via Policy Alert PA-2025-16, designating "anti-Americanism" and "antisemitic activity" as "overwhelmingly negative" discretionary factors in every category of immigration benefit adjudication — green cards, work visas, naturalization, and humanitarian protections. The term "anti-Americanism" was left undefined in the update, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and any accompanying officer guidance, granting adjudicators unbounded discretion to deny immigration benefits based on applicants' perceived political speech, beliefs, or associations.
IRS disclosed 47,000 taxpayers' addresses to ICE under an April 2025 data-sharing deal, later found unlawful in 42,695 cases
On August 7, 2025, the IRS disclosed the last-known addresses of approximately 47,000 taxpayers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, responding to a June 27, 2025 ICE request for 1.28 million records under an April 2025 data-sharing agreement signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Of the addresses disclosed, 90.3% were matched and released through an automated process that never independently verified the addresses ICE had supplied, as Section 6103 requires. A federal judge later found the IRS had violated the statute approximately 42,695 times.
DHS Secretary Noem told her advisory council she was seeking a way to fire employees who 'don't like us' or oppose administration policy
At the inaugural meeting of the Department of Homeland Security's reconstituted Homeland Security Advisory Council on July 2, 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem told members she was looking for advice on "how to fire people who don't like us," saying "there's people here in this department that don't support what we're doing." Noem said she did not feel supported by some of the roughly 250,000 DHS employees and asked the advisers to help identify a legal mechanism to remove career civil servants on that basis. As of the reporting, no specific legal mechanism had been confirmed and no employee had been removed under the stated rationale.
DHS Secretary Noem and President Trump threatened to prosecute CNN over its reporting on the ICEBlock app
On July 1, 2025, after CNN reported on ICEBlock — a free app that let users anonymously flag the locations of ICE agents — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration was working with the Justice Department to "go after" and prosecute CNN, calling the network's coverage a form of aiding people trying to avoid law enforcement. President Trump separately endorsed pursuing CNN, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller accused the network of helping "invaders and insurrectionists sabotage ICE." Noem did not identify what law CNN had violated, and no charges were filed against the network as of the reporting.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem fabricated story of migrant who ate himself on ICE deportation flight
On July 1, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stood alongside President Trump during a tour of the "Alligator Alcatraz" migrant detention facility in Ochopee, Florida, and publicly claimed federal marshals had detained a "cannibal" who tried to eat himself aboard an ICE deportation flight, repeating the claim on Fox News and again a month later. On February 23, 2026, The Intercept reported that three federal law enforcement officials, including one from Noem's own DHS, confirmed the story was entirely fabricated.
DHS imposed seven-day notice requirement on lawmakers visiting ICE detention facilities, undercutting statutory oversight power
On June 23, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security tightened guidance for congressional visits to immigration detention facilities, requiring members of Congress to give at least seven calendar days' advance notice and empowering officials to end a visit that didn't follow the protocol. Twelve House Democrats sued DHS and Secretary Kristi Noem the following month, arguing the requirement violated Section 527 of the fiscal 2025 appropriations law, which guarantees members unannounced oversight access, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
DHS agents forcibly removed and handcuffed Senator Alex Padilla at Noem press conference in Los Angeles
On June 12, 2025, FBI police officers and U.S. Secret Service agents physically seized California Senator Alex Padilla, dragged him from the room, and handcuffed him face-down outside after he stood to question Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem about immigration enforcement operations at her press conference at the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. Padilla was not arrested and no charges were filed; video showed him identifying himself as a senator before agents removed him. The incident drew bipartisan condemnation, with Republican Senators Collins and Murkowski calling it "disturbing," and Senate Democrats demanding a congressional investigation.
DHS Secretary Noem terminated Nepal TPS designation, stripping ~12,700 earthquake refugees of immigration protection
On June 6, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published a Federal Register notice terminating the Temporary Protected Status designation for Nepal, effective August 5, 2025. Nepal had held TPS since June 24, 2015, following a catastrophic earthquake that caused widespread displacement; the termination affects approximately 12,700 Nepali nationals currently holding TPS. A federal court later ruled the decision was "arbitrary, capricious, and motivated by racial animus," though the ruling was stayed pending appeal.
Trump signed Proclamation 10949 suspending entry from 19 countries, full ban on 12 majority-Black or Muslim-majority nations
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed Proclamation 10949 creating a new multi-country entry ban effective June 9, 2025. The proclamation imposed a full suspension of entry for nationals of 12 countries—including Afghanistan, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—and partial suspensions for 7 more, including Cuba and Venezuela. Critics and legal analysts identified the country selection criteria as selectively applied, noting that countries with worse vetting records were excluded while 10 of 12 fully banned nations are majority-Black or majority-Muslim.
Trump signed Proclamation 10948 banning new Harvard international student visas, directing State to revoke existing ones
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed Proclamation 10948, suspending entry of all new Harvard-bound international students on F, M, and J visas and directing the Secretary of State to consider revoking existing visas for current Harvard students on a case-by-case basis. The proclamation, issued under INA § 212(f), accused Harvard of jeopardizing the student visa system's integrity by refusing to surrender student records demanded by DHS and defying April 2025 demands to alter curriculum, admissions, and diversity programs. At the time of signing, Harvard enrolled approximately 6,800 international students.
Supreme Court 7-2 stayed injunction blocking CHNV parole termination, enabling DHS to revoke status for 532,000 noncitizens
On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's emergency application to stay a federal injunction, allowing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to proceed with terminating humanitarian parole for more than 532,000 noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela admitted under the Biden-era CHNV programs. The unsigned 7-2 order — with Justices Jackson and Sotomayor dissenting — cleared the way to revoke parole status without the individualized case-by-case review that the district court's injunction had required. Justice Jackson wrote that the majority had "plainly botched" the ruling and decried the "devastating consequences" of upending the lives of nearly half a million people while their legal claims remained pending.
DHS falsely accused Milwaukee immigrant of threatening to assassinate Trump, then pursued his deportation without retracting the claim
On May 28, 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly accused Milwaukee immigrant Ramón Morales Reyes of sending a letter threatening to assassinate President Trump, days after Milwaukee police and the U.S. Secret Service had reason to doubt he wrote it. DHS pursued his detention and deportation on that basis, and the agency's original accusation remains online without retraction even after Wisconsin authorities convicted and sentenced the actual author, Demetric Scott, to more than 16 years in prison for forging the letter to prevent Morales Reyes from testifying against him.
DHS Secretary Noem revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, threatening enrollment of ~6,000 international students
On May 22, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem summarily revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, the administrative authorization that allows universities to enroll international students on F-1, J-1, and M-1 visas. Citing alleged 'pro-terrorist conduct' and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party — with no independent factual finding or adjudicatory process — the action threatened immediate displacement of more than 6,000 international students and scholars. Harvard filed for a Temporary Restraining Order the following day; District Judge Allison Burroughs granted the TRO, and a preliminary injunction issued June 20 extended the block pending full litigation.
Trump signed EO 14287, creating 'sanctuary jurisdiction' list and ordering agencies to identify federal grants for withholding
On April 28, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14287, "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens," formally establishing a government-wide sanctuary jurisdiction designation-and-punishment mechanism. The order directed the Attorney General and DHS Secretary to publish a list of states and localities that obstruct federal immigration enforcement and instructed all federal department heads to identify grants and contracts flowing to listed jurisdictions "for suspension or termination." A federal court blocked the funding-withholding component within 11 days, ruling it could not be used as "an end run around" an existing preliminary injunction against earlier Trump sanctuary-city directives.
DHS Secretary Noem terminated CHNV parole programs, stripping lawful status from 532,000 noncitizens without individualized review
On March 25, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem published Federal Register Notice 2025-05128 (90 FR 13611) formally terminating the Biden-era categorical parole programs for inadmissible noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The termination took effect immediately; the approximately 532,000 current parolees were given until April 24, 2025 to depart the United States. Each had been individually vetted and admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5), but their status was revoked through a single blanket notice with no individualized review of reliance interests or changed circumstances.
Trump invoked Alien Enemies Act for CECOT transfer bundled with secret Bukele prisoner exchange, defying court order
On March 15, 2025, President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to fly more than 250 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's CECOT prison without individualized hearings, defying a federal judge's same-day order to turn the planes around. A diplomatic note later declassified shows the operation was bundled with a separate request: El Salvador President Nayib Bukele personally asked for the return of MS-13 leader César Antonio Lopez Larios, and El Salvador agreed to also hold up to 500 Tren de Aragua members for a year, in exchange for undisclosed U.S. financial and in-kind support.
Homeland Security under Secretary Noem polygraphed employees and forcibly reassigned senior staff to identify leakers
Beginning in March 2025, the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem subjected employees to polygraph examinations - some reported to last up to roughly six hours - to identify the sources of leaks, and forcibly reassigned senior career staff. Employees and journalists described the measures as a "campaign of fear" that deterred internal dissent and lawful disclosure.
Trump administration halted CISA's election security support to states, ending the agency's congressionally mandated protection of voting systems
On March 11, 2025, a U.S. official confirmed to Votebeat that CISA had ceased all election security support to state and local officials, ending programs the agency had run since its creation following the 2016 Russian interference campaign. The halt followed the placement of CISA election security and disinformation staff on administrative leave in February 2025. State election officials said they were left without federal cybersecurity assistance to protect voting systems and infrastructure from foreign threats.
DHS awarded $220M in no-bid advertising contracts under Noem, funneling work to firms tied to her inner circle
On February 13, 2025, DHS awarded a $143 million no-bid contract to Safe America Media LLC — a Delaware shell company incorporated just seven days earlier — as part of a $220 million advertising campaign to promote the agency's immigration enforcement mission and featuring Secretary Kristi Noem prominently. DHS bypassed competitive bidding by invoking a border "national emergency." A second $77 million no-bid contract went to People Who Think LLC. Work under the Safe America Media contract was secretly subcontracted to the Strategy Group, an Ohio Republican consulting firm run by the husband of Noem's DHS chief spokesperson. Noem separately implemented a policy requiring her personal sign-off on all DHS grants and contracts exceeding $100,000, causing agency-wide funding bottlenecks.
Trump signed EO 14159 expanding expedited removal to US interior, eliminating immigration court hearings for non-citizens
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14159, directing DHS to expand expedited removal to the fullest extent authorized by statute. DHS implemented the order via a Federal Register designation effective January 21, 2025, extending expedited removal authority to any non-citizen anywhere in the United States who could not prove at least two years of continuous presence. Previously, the procedure had applied only to migrants apprehended at or near the border; the expansion allowed interior deportations without any hearing before an immigration judge.
2023 Events (1)
South Dakota Gov. Noem signed HB1080, banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors
On February 13, 2023, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed HB 1080, the "Help Not Harm" Act, barring health care professionals from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgical interventions to transgender minors for the purpose of gender transition. Providers already treating trans minors were required to taper them off medication by December 31, 2023, and violators face license revocation and civil liability. South Dakota became one of the first states in 2023 to enact such a ban.
2022 Events (1)
South Dakota Gov. Noem signed SB 46, barring transgender athletes from female school and college sports
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed SB 46, "An Act to protect fairness in women's sports," on February 3, 2022, after it passed both chambers of the legislature in late January. The law requires K-12, intramural, club, and college athletic teams sponsored or sanctioned by an accredited school, school district, activities association, or the state Board of Regents or Board of Technical Education to be designated by biological sex, barring transgender girls and women from competing on female teams. South Dakota was the first state to enact such a law in 2022, according to the Human Rights Campaign.