5 controversies defining Kristi Noem before her ousting at DHS

Kristi Noem’s record as Homeland Security secretary has been riddled with controversy in the year she’s led the agency for President Donald Trump.
On March 5, Trump announced Noem, a former South Dakota governor and congresswoman, would step down as head of the department. Her new role, Trump said in a Truth Social post, would be as special envoy to a newly formed security coalition in the Western Hemisphere.
Her tenure, since Trump took office in January 2025, has had controversies ranging from her pets and government contracts to how quickly she defended the killings of U.S. citizens by immigration enforcement officers.
Still, in her time leading the agency − which oversees federal immigration enforcement − she took on oversight of one of the Trump administration’s most high-profile initiatives. Border crossings, for instance, have plunged in Trump’s first year. Meanwhile, DHS has overseen increases in deportations, particularly of people without criminal records
Here are five controversies surrounding Noem, a Republican who at one point was considered a potential running mate for Trump.
Shooting her dog, making up Kim Jong Un meeting
Excerpts from Noem’s 2024 memoir, “No Going Back,” were highlighted when she was floated as a vice presidential pick. But they resurfaced this week in Senate hearings.
In her book, she recounted fatally shooting her 14-month-old wirehair pointer on her family farm because the dog was “untrainable.” She also killed a goat.
In a March 3 hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, chastised her for killing her animals.
“Those are bad decisions made in the heat of the moment, not unlike what happened in Minneapolis,” Tillis said. “We’re an exceptional nation, and one of the reasons we’re exceptional is we expect exceptional leadership, and you’ve demonstrated anything but that.”
He took a parting shot on March 5 after Trump removed Noem and announced that U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, would succeed her.