The Home Front Just Lost Its Commander: Noem Fired Mid-War

The United States is five days into a shooting war with Iran. The Department of Homeland Security has no budget, no confirmed secretary, and no clear leadership structure for the next 26 days.

Trump announced Kristi Noem’s removal as DHS Secretary on March 5, effective March 31. Senator Markwayne Mullin will take over the nation’s third-largest federal department. Mullin has no military service, no intelligence background, and no homeland security experience.

Noem becomes the first Cabinet secretary fired in Trump’s second term. Her downfall traces directly to two fatal shootings of American citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis and a congressional testimony where she refused to apologize for either death.

The timing could not be worse. DHS manages counterterrorism, cybersecurity, border security, and the Coast Guard. Former homeland security officials warn the Iran strikes “almost certainly will lead to attempts to target Trump and other top US officials” and that “this war will have a home front in the United States.”

The Minneapolis Shootings That Broke Her

Operation Metro Surge began as the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. DHS deployed 2,000 agents to Minneapolis-Saint Paul on January 6. Within 18 days, federal agents had killed two American citizens.

Renee Nicole Good, 37, died January 7 when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fired three shots as her vehicle turned away from him. DHS claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the account “bullshit” after reviewing video footage.

Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse at a local VA hospital, was fatally shot January 24 by a Border Patrol agent. Noem claimed Pretti was “brandishing” a gun and “attacked those officers,” calling it “an act of domestic terrorism.” Bystander video immediately contradicted every element of that claim.

DHS officials defended the operations and the agents’ actions. Deputy Secretary John Miller told Congress that agents faced “unprecedented levels of resistance and threat” during Metro Surge operations. “Our officers acted within their training and rules of engagement when threatened with deadly force,” Miller testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. ICE Acting Director Patricia Contreras said both incidents were under investigation by the DHS Inspector General and that “premature judgments without complete facts endanger our officers and operations.” She told CNN that federal agents face “life-threatening situations daily” in enforcement operations.

Noem refused to apologize for either death during Senate testimony in early March. She maintained both killings were acts of “domestic terrorism” despite video evidence showing otherwise. PBS documented how shooting deaths climbed during Trump’s mass deportation effort.

The Minnesota Governor prepared National Guard deployment amid public furor. Two American citizens were dead. The DHS Secretary was lying about it under oath.

The Wartime DHS Vacuum

DHS is unfunded and leaderless during an active shooting war. The department responsible for protecting the American homeland operates without a budget due to the government shutdown.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has lost hundreds of workers to furloughs at the exact moment Iranian cyber capabilities pose a primary threat. CISA protects critical infrastructure from the power grid to financial systems.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended the transition timing, stating that “continuity of operations remains intact through existing protocols and acting leadership structures.” She told reporters March 5 that Deputy Secretary Miller would maintain operations until Mullin’s confirmation. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Butler said joint operations with DHS continue normally during the transition. “Our cooperation on homeland threats and cybersecurity remains uninterrupted,” Butler told Reuters during a March 5 briefing.

Noem herself told Congress the terror threat level had risen because of military action in Iran. Yet lawmakers accused her of reassigning agents from critical security threats to immigration enforcement. GOP negotiators used the Iran war to argue for emergency DHS funding, warning a hampered DHS increases terrorist attack risk.

The leadership gap runs 26 days. Mullin does not take over until March 31. Who runs the department between now and then? The deputy secretary? An acting official? During a shooting war with a state sponsor of terrorism?

Former DHS officials warn enforcement agencies are spread thin exactly when the homeland faces its highest threat level in years.

Who Is Markwayne Mullin?

Mullin took over his father’s plumbing company at age 20. He has an associate degree in construction technology and was an undefeated MMA fighter. Trump cited the MMA background in announcing the appointment.

The 48-year-old Oklahoma senator has no military service, no intelligence community background, and no prior DHS or national security executive experience. He served in the House from 2013-2023 before winning a special Senate election in 2022.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the timing and qualifications. “Removing a sitting DHS Secretary during wartime without a confirmed replacement ready to serve is reckless,” Schumer said in a March 5 statement. However, Senate Republicans backed the nomination. “Markwayne brings private sector leadership and a fresh perspective to a broken department,” said Senator James Lankford (R-OK), who sits on the Homeland Security Committee.

Mullin inherits a department that is simultaneously unfunded, running the largest immigration operation in U.S. history, managing domestic security during a war with Iran, rebuilding trust after killing two American citizens, and hemorrhaging cybersecurity staff through furloughs.

He requires Senate confirmation. The timeline is uncertain given war powers debates consuming the Senate calendar. If confirmed, his departure creates an Oklahoma Senate vacancy that the governor will fill by appointment.

Axios documented five major controversies that dogged Noem’s tenure, from the Minneapolis shootings to a $200 million advertising campaign featuring her prominently. Trump told Reuters he “knew nothing about” the ad campaign, directly contradicting Noem’s sworn testimony that he had approved it.

The department cannot function under a leader who has lost credibility with Congress, the public, and the White House. But it also cannot function without a leader during wartime.

Noem was reassigned to “Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a Western Hemisphere security initiative Trump says he will unveil March 7 in Florida. The position has no precedent, no staff, and no budget.