Kristi Noem, the president said, will be moving to a special envoy position and will be replaced by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).
President Donald Trump on March 5 announced that he is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) in a move that will go into effect by the end of the month.
“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The transition will take place on March 31, he said.
Trump said Noem served well and had “numerous and spectacular results,” namely with respect to the U.S.–Mexico border’s security. Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, will be leaving for the newly created post of special envoy for the shield of the Americas, he wrote.
The special envoy position will be announced in an event on March 7 in Doral, Florida, the president said.
Noem wrote in a post on X that she is thanking Trump for naming her as special envoy for the shield of the Americas.
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 5, 2026
Under her tenure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had “historic accomplishments,” including deporting 3 million illegal immigrants since Trump was sworn in last year, locating 145,000 children, and other accomplishments, she said.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Mullin said in a live interview with an ABC News reporter that he is “super excited about this opportunity” and that he is “great friends” with Trump.
“I wasn’t expecting the call today,” he told the news outlet.
He said that he is “ready to get started” and that his focus will be on keeping “the homeland secure.”
Mullin praised Noem “as a friend” and said he supported her role as head of DHS, noting that she had a difficult job to perform.
Mullin said he and the Trump administration will now work toward getting confirmed in the Senate and will speak with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
At least one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), wrote on March 5 in a post on X that he would back Mullin to head DHS.
In the Truth Social post, Trump praised Mullin as an individual who “will work tirelessly” to secure the U.S.–Mexico border and deal with “migrant crime, murderers, and other criminals from illegally entering” the United States.
By Jack Phillips and Jackson Richman
