Trump expected to nominate Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary

President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to four sources familiar with the decision.

As Homeland Security secretary, Noem would oversee a number of key federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Secret Service, the TSA and the Coast Guard.

Noem, 52, has expressed support for the president-elect's tough immigration policies and defended her fellow Republican governors in their efforts to crack down on migrants in their states.

In January, for example, she said in remarks that there had been an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border and said her administration was considering helping Texas deter immigration at the southern border by deploying security personnel and razor wire sent to the state. In response to her comments, members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota banned her from her reservation.

Noem criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the border, echoing Trump's arguments that violent criminals are pouring into the country.

“He's ignoring federal law and allowing people into this country who are incredibly dangerous,” she said in an interview on NBC's “Meet the Press” in June. “And I believe just this week, four different people were attacked, raped or murdered by illegal immigrants who entered through our open border. And this can’t continue to happen.”

When asked in the same interview about Trump's possible plans to pardon the convicted Jan. 6 rioters, she dodged the question, saying it was his prerogative.

“I believe that when Donald Trump gets back to the White House and runs this country, he will have incredible opportunities to show that people in this country are safer and that we have law and order back on our streets.” , she said. “If you look at some of the most violent areas of our country, they are often Democrat-run cities, sanctuary cities with an open border.”

Noem was seen as a possible candidate for Trump's vice presidential nomination this cycle, but her admission in her book published in the spring that she once shot her dog remained stubborn.

“I would say this was a story from 20 years ago about how I protected my children from a vicious animal,” she said on “Meet the Press.” “So we've got that covered, and it's a difficult decision for any mother in those situations where she has an animal that's brutally killing livestock and attacking people.”

Noem has been governor of South Dakota since 2019 and previously served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and the state House from 2007 to 2011.

Similar to Trump's other allies, Noem had signaled support for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. In separate interviews on CNN in April and May of this year, she declined to say whether she would have certified that election and refused to say whether then-Vice President Mike Pence acted appropriately in certifying Biden's victory.