US Senate approves new Homeland Security Secretary, shares Trump's views

The US Senate, controlled by the Republican Party, on January 25 approved Ms. Kristi Noem - former Governor of South Dakota - as Secretary of Homeland Security.

The US Senate approved new Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. (Source: AFP)

The Secretary of Homeland Security is a key position in President Donald Trump's cabinet, as he launches a large-scale crackdown on immigration.

Noem was confirmed 59-34. The former South Dakota governor shares Trump’s hardline stance on immigration and called illegal immigration an “invasion” during her confirmation hearing earlier this month.

Observers say Noem will take over an agency with a relatively heavy task. In her new position, she will run the US Department of Homeland Security with 260,000 employees, in charge of border security, deportation and legal immigration procedures, as well as emergency response, cybersecurity, and oversee the US Coast Guard and the US Secret Service.

Noem comes from a farming family in South Dakota. In 1994, she dropped out of college to take over the family farm after her father died in a machinery accident.

In 2006, Noem's political career began in the South Dakota state legislature.

In 2010, she was first elected to the US House of Representatives and became one of the few representatives at that time without a college degree.

Noem graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2012, after completing internship credits by serving as a member of Congress.

In 2018, she was elected the first female governor of South Dakota. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she made headlines for refusing to mandate masks and reopening schools earlier than other states.

Kristi Noem has been a vocal supporter of Trump and has appeared alongside the president-elect at many campaign rallies. As governor of South Dakota, Noem has also made policy decisions that align closely with Trump’s.

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