What Is Kristi Noem’s New Role in the Trump Administration?

When President Donald Trump declared that he would remove Kristi Noem, who was facing mounting criticism from Congress, as Homeland Security Secretary, he also announced that she would take a new role in his Administration: “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.”

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“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere,” Trump said in his Truth Social post on Thursday.

The President’s announcement came as Noem had been facing backlash over the tactics her department was deploying in the Administration’s crackdown on immigration. In January, federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis amid protests against immigration enforcement operations, provoking outrage among voters and lawmakers.

This week, Noem appeared before members of Congress, who scrutinized a $220 million government advertising campaign that she appeared in. While Noem said that Trump himself had approved the campaign, the President later told Reuters that he “never knew anything about it.”

Read More: Who is Markwayne Mullin, the New Homeland Security Secretary?

A number of Democrats celebrated Noem’s ousting from DHS, calling it “long overdue.” But Noem will still play a role in the Trump Administration in her new position. While the Administration has shared little information about the position so far, here’s everything we do know.

What is a special envoy?

A special envoy serves on behalf of the President or the Secretary of State, typically to focus on a particular policy issue.

“Special envoys can operate outside of the typical reach of an ambassador to address complex, multilateral issues,” according to Ballotpedia. “Since they are responsive to the needs of each administration, there is no set number of special envoys.”

What is the Shield of the Americas?

The Trump Administration hasn’t shared details about what the Shield of the Americas entails, beyond the President saying that it is a “new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere,” which he will formally announce on Saturday.

In a post on X, Noem thanked Trump for the appointment. She said that the new role would involve working “closely” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”

“The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security,” she continued. “In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security.”

Trump and the Americas

In December, the Trump Administration shared a new national security strategy, which outlined its intention to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” including by working with partners to “control migration, stop drug flows, and strengthen stability and security on land and sea.” The document also laid out the Administration’s plans to conduct “targeted deployments to secure the border and defeat cartels, including where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy of the last several decades.”

The President has escalated U.S. actions against drug trafficking in Latin America since he took office for a second term, including by authorizing military strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean on alleged drug smuggling boats that have left about 150 dead since September, according to the New York Times. The Trump Administration also initiated a months-long pressure campaign against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that culminated in his capture during a U.S. military operation in the South American country in January. Maduro was brought to a New York court, where he pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges.

The federal government also assisted the Mexican government in an operation that resulted in Mexican forces killing a drug kingpin known as “El Mencho” in February. This week, officials revealed that the U.S. and Ecuador had launched a joint military operation to tackle narcoterrorism in the South American nation.

Many of these initiatives have sparked controversy. Legal experts have questioned the legality of the Trump Administration’s deadly strikes on alleged drug boats. Several foreign leaders said they were alarmed by the U.S. attack that led to Maduro’s capture, and Democratic lawmakers slammed the President for authorizing the military operation in Venezuela without getting approval from Congress beforehand.