Republican Governor Kristi Noem (SD) has reportedly been selected to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Wall Street Journal and CNN reported the development and spoke with sources familiar with the matter.
No official announcement has been made.
Noem has been a staunch critic of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis and has sent South Dakota National Guard troops to Texas to provide assistance in border efforts.
In January, Noem and 24 other Republican governors released a statement supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) actions to secure the southern border.
“President Biden and his Administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border. Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden Administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl, and terrorists entering our country,” the statement read.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally.”
The statement added, “Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation.”
