Donald Trump picks Kristi Noem for homeland security chief, insiders say

US President-elect Donald Trump will nominate South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as the next homeland security secretary, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday, choosing a staunch ally who has little experience on the national security stage.

Noem, once seen as a possible running mate for Republican Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as South Dakota’s governor after a landslide re-election victory in 2022. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She will be new to the 260,000-person US Department of Homeland Security and its sprawling mission, which includes border security, countering terrorist threats and cybersecurity.

Trump focused intensely on border security during his campaign to recapture the White House, sharply criticising high levels of illegal immigration under Democratic US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Trump, who won decisively against Harris in last week’s election, has vowed mass deportations and other immigration restrictions beginning on his first day in office.

Noem, whose home state is closer to Canada than Mexico, made several trips in recent years to the US-Mexico border, which she called a “war zone” in January.