Kristi Noem was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as President Donald Trump's Homeland Security secretary on Saturday, putting into position a key member of the Republican's Cabinet as he launches a wide-ranging immigration crackdown.
Noem, who was governor of South Dakota, shares Trump's hardline immigration views and called illegal immigration an "invasion" during a confirmation hearing earlier this month.
She was confirmed by a vote of 59 to 34 in the Republican-led Senate.
Trump recaptured the White House promising to deport record numbers of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, criticizing Democratic former President Joe Biden for high levels of illegal immigration during his presidency.
Trump issued an array of executive orders after taking office on Jan. 20 that aim to tighten border security and power his deportation drive, and has rolled out a raft of restrictive policies.
Noem will take over the 260,000-employee U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border security, deportations and legal immigration paperwork, as well as emergency response, cybersecurity and the U.S. Coast Guard and Secret Service.
While she served as governor of a state closer to Canada than Mexico, Noem deployed dozens of South Dakota National Guard troops to assist the Republican-led state of Texas with border security in recent years, including one controversial deployment in 2021 funded by a Republican billionaire.
"It is a war zone down there," Noem said of the border during her Jan. 17 confirmation hearing.
When asked during the hearing how the Trump administration would handle workers without legal status in the agricultural sector, Noem said the administration would focus on criminal offenders and people with final deportation orders but did not say farm workers would be protected.
Noem's family ranch has hired dozens of temporary farm workers since 2015, U.S. government records show, listing her brother as the owner. Some conservative groups say the use of temporary agricultural workers with guest visas undercuts wages and slows down technological adaptation.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as ...
A U.S. submarine strike sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving at least 80 dead, the country&...
The election of Iran’s next supreme leader could provide an opportunity to end the ongoing regional war involving Israel, the U.S. and ...
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key I...
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 peop...
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and NATO ally refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
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