Senate Confirms Kristi Noem As Secretary Of Homeland Security In Bipartisan 59-34 Vote

The Senate voted on Saturday morning to confirm Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, installing a longtime ally of Donald Trump at the head of an agency that oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Secret Service.

“Two months into his new role, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin finds himself trying to solve a puzzle: How does he deliver on the deportation mandate expected of him by President Donald Trump, while avoiding some of the same pitfalls that led to the ouster of his predecessor”

CNN

Noem told the senators during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, "The mission and success of DHS are more crucial than ever," and she said, "We must secure our borders against illegal trafficking and immigration."

CNN

The CNN en Español report said the confirmation vote was bipartisan, 59 to 34, and it described Noem as a former state lawmaker and four-term congresswoman who has served as governor of South Dakota since 2019.

The same report said Trump began his second term by issuing sweeping immigration decrees, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border and initiating the process to end birthright citizenship, which drew nearly immediate legal challenges.

In her hearing, Noem also addressed disaster relief and domestic terrorism, saying there should be no political bias in disaster relief and that "domestic terrorism is on the rise."

Two months into his new role, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is trying to deliver on the deportation mandate expected of him by President Donald Trump while avoiding pitfalls that led to the ouster of his predecessor, according to CNN.

CNN said roving immigration patrols targeting blue states and cities have scaled back, but Mullin still lambasts elected officials leading these areas and progressive immigration policies.

CNN en Español

The report quoted White House border czar Tom Homan telling a group of DHS officials and industry personnel during a conference earlier this month, "We’re not giving up," and it added that Homan said, "President Trump was put into office for one big reason — lot of reasons — but the main reason? Immigration enforcement."

CNN also described Mullin threatening to cut funding for some airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, while he lent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports suffering staffing shortages during the Department od Homeland Security shutdown.

The article said Mullin paused efforts to install sprawling migrant detention warehouses early in his tenure, but that some plans were reportedly moving forward again in the face of pending litigation.

CNN reported that Mullin told Fox News in early April, "If they’re a sanctuary city, and they’re receiving international flights," and he said, "maybe we need to have a really hard look at that" because the focus should be on cities that want to work with DHS at the airport.

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The article said Mullin previewed those plans publicly early in his tenure and that the Atlantic reported last week he was considering reducing staffing of Customs and Border Protection officers working at airports in sanctuary jurisdictions including Portland, New York City and Northern Virginia.

CNN also said the idea has faced pushback from within the administration, including from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who told a Thursday congressional hearing, "We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics."

The report tied the staffing question to upcoming World Cup matches, saying some sanctuary jurisdictions are hosting matches that could draw "tens of thousands of international visitors" and that staffing cuts over the summer could become messy.

Separately, KPIX reported from Memorial Day commemorations aboard the USS Hornet, in memory of service members like Charlie Keating IV, a Navy SEAL killed in a firefight with ISIS.