FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears for an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he is naming U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), replacing Kristi Noem in Trump’s cabinet.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social, saying Noem will take on a new role as the “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” which he described as a “new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere.” The Shield of the Americans is expected to be formally announced on Saturday in Doral, Fla.

As DHS secretary, Noem has overseen the operations for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which saw two American citizens (Alex Pretti and Renee Good) killed by agents in Minneapolis in January. Noem and members of the administration routinely lied and made outlandish assumptions about the killings and victims without evidence or investigations, including false accusations that they were “violent terrorists.”

The announcement comes the same week Noem testified in front of the House and Senate Judiciary committees, where both Democratic and Republican lawmakers grilled her on her conduct as DHS secretary. Noem struggled with the questions and repeatedly denied characterizing Pretti as a domestic terrorist, which she did hours after he was killed.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) referred to Noem’s leadership as a “disaster.” 

In a statement, Minnesota Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan (DFL) said Minnesotans will not forget what Noem did to her constituents and renewed calls to abolish ICE. 

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Just because you got fired, Minnesotans won’t forget what you did to our neighbors,” Flanagan said. “We will continue to fight for you to be held accountable. This is a move many of us have organized for. Trump’s DHS has killed two Minnesotans, terrorized our immigrant communities, detained citizens, and traumatized our children. But make no mistake – changing the head of this agency will not change the direction of his mass deportation agenda.  It’s time to rip ICE apart.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), whose state saw the killing of Silverio Villegas González by an ICE agent last September, had a similar message.

“Now that you’re gone, don’t think you get to just walk away,” Pritzker said in a video statement. “I guarantee you, you will still be held accountable.”

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kristi Noem.

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— Governor JB Pritzker (@govpritzker.illinois.gov) March 5, 2026 at 1:11 PM

Mullin

Mullin, 48, will assume his new role on March 31. Mullin has served as one of Oklahoma’s U.S. senators since Jan. 3, 2023 after ten years representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mullin, who is also a former MMA fighter, made headlines in 2023 when he challenged Sean O’Brian, the leader of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to a cage match after the pair had a heated exchange during a Senate hearing.

Mullin currently serves on the Senate Appropriations, Armed Services, Indian Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.

Oklahoma law requires Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) to appoint an interim Republican senator to fill Mullins’ seat. The state requires the appointment to be someone who has been registered to vote for the party of the predecessor for at least five years, in this case the Republican Party. 

Whoever Stitt appoints will serve until January 2027, when Mullins’ current term expires.