Trump taps South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to helm Homeland Security
In a move that further signals Donald Trump’s commitment to enforce stringent controls on illegal immigration, the president-elect confirmed Tuesday he planned to appoint South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump has already signaled he will tap Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, two longtime allies with a track record of pushing for mass deportations and extreme clampdowns on immigrants, to serve senior roles as deputy chief of staff for policy and “border czar.” Noem, 52, a Trump loyalist who has offered firm backing for the GOP leader’s promise to carry out mass deportations, will preside over a vast department that oversees multiple agencies, including the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The department has more than 260,000 employees and a $60-billion budget. After Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, Noem was asked how a Trump administration would carry out his plan to deport millions of immigrants who entered the country illegally. “It is going to be a big operation,” Noem told NewsNation. “President Trump has already indicated that he