The department that the South Dakota governor seeks to lead will be critical to fulfilling the incoming administration’s promises to quickly crack down on immigration.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency central to his vision of cracking down on illegal immigration, faced senators Friday at a confirmation hearing and promised to be a tough hand in carrying out the president's vision for the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security, speaks with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President-elect Donald Trump was taken aback by the firestorm against South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) after she crowed about gunning down a 14-month wirehaired pointer named Cricket in her book

So far, Kristi Noem appears to have strong backing from GOP senators who will be crucial to her confirmation as head of the Department of Homeland Security.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told lawmakers that she intends to end the use of the CBP One on the first day the Trump administration.

Gov. Kristi Noem has ordered that the state's flags — which have been flying at half-staff since the death of President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29 — be raised Monday to honor the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), vowed at her Senate confirmation hearing to lead a crackdown on immigration by securing the "war zone" at the US-Mexico border and deporting unauthorised migrants.

President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Homeland Security secretary portrayed illegal immigration as an "invasion" and the U.S.-Mexico border as a "war zone" during a U.S. Senate confirmation on Friday where she pledged to back Trump's hard line on immigration.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency central to his vision of cracking down on illegal immigration, faced senators Friday at confirmation hearing that will be her first chance to lay out her vision for the sprawling Department of Homeland Security.

The first week of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks concluded Friday with Department of Homeland Security nominee Kristi Noem.