Donald Trump’s second presidential administration has stormed into Washington like a Category 5 hurricane, dismantling the bureaucratic rot left by Joe Biden and previous presidents at an astonishing pace.
Among the high-profile disruptors in Trump’s Cabinet, few have made a more dramatic impact than Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The damage inflicted on America’s borders and law enforcement agencies during the Biden years is severe, and fixing it will not be easy.
Since taking office on January 25, Noem has been everywhere. She has joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on arrest operations in New York, inspected DHS security measures in New Orleans ahead of the Super Bowl, and accompanied Border Patrol agents in Texas — both by helicopter and on horseback.
Kristi Noem’s border visits are more than just photo ops — they mark a long-overdue corrective to the disastrous tenure of her predecessor, Alejandro Mayorkas.
Under Mayorkas’ “leadership,” more than 10 million illegal aliens entered the United States. When the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that DHS could not mass parole illegal aliens into the country, he expanded the practice anyway. Since fiscal year 2021, authorities have caught 362 individuals on the terrorist watchlist illegally crossing the Southwest border. That figure is just one piece of the overwhelming evidence showing how Mayorkas and Biden enabled an unprecedented border crisis.
The consequences of Mayorkas’ mismanagement have been severe, but his gaslighting only deepened the public’s frustration. Throughout the Biden administration, Americans watched him testify before Congress and speak to friendly corporate media outlets, repeatedly insisting that the southern border was secure — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Instead of enforcing immigration laws, Mayorkas actively encouraged illegal crossings. His DHS even introduced the CBP One phone app, which Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and others described as a “concierge service for illegal immigrants.”
Mayorkas’ tenure also devastated the agencies under his command. With Border Patrol effectively transformed from a law enforcement agency into a welcoming committee for illegal aliens, more than 4,000 agents left the department since October 2020. Retirement rates more than doubled compared to the previous two administrations. Morale plummeted not just within the Border Patrol but also at ICE and other agencies under DHS.
Against this backdrop, Noem’s ride with the Del Rio horse patrol unit in Texas carried particular significance. In 2021, five members of the unit saw their reputations destroyed when the government’s highest officials and the media falsely accused them of wrongdoing over a misinterpreted photograph.
During a chaotic scene involving Haitian migrants, mounted agents were photographed with their horses’ reins flying through the air. Anti-border activists assumed the worst, immediately accusing the agents of whipping migrants.
Mayorkas, who initially defended the agents, quickly reversed course, declaring himself “horrified” by the images and vowing swift punishment. Biden, ignoring due process and the presumption of innocence, proclaimed, “It’s outrageous. I promise you those people will pay.”
The accusation against the Del Rio horse patrol had one major flaw: The photographer who captured the image stated that no whipping had occurred. Furthermore, Border Patrol does not issue whips to mounted agents.
Rather than admit their mistake, Mayorkas and Biden allowed the accused agents to endure months of public scorn, their reputations unjustly tarnished. A nearly 10-month inquiry confirmed that the agents had not whipped migrants, yet they still faced internal disciplinary action.
In a quiet acknowledgment of the injustice, DHS last year discreetly awarded a service medal to one of the mounted agents — a meager attempt at redemption but far from the public apology the patrol deserved. It remains one of the most shameful episodes in the department’s history.
During her Texas visit, Noem rode horseback with some of the falsely accused agents, signaling a commitment to repairing the relationship between DHS leadership and frontline personnel.
“The last leadership team at DHS, and Mayorkas, he rode over them,” Noem told Fox News’ Lawrence Jones. “I think it’s important today that they know I ride with them.”
The damage inflicted on America’s borders and law enforcement agencies during the Biden years is severe, and fixing it will not be easy. But Noem’s energy, leadership, and management style suggest she is up to the task.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Wednesday that the administration had terminated a Temporary Protected Status extension for Venezuelan nationals.
TPS shields foreign nationals from deportation based on temporary conditions — such as armed conflicts and natural disasters — in their country of origin. Under TPS, eligible foreign nationals cannot be deported and can obtain employment and travel authorization.
'Before he left town, Mayorkas signed an order that said for 18 months they were going to extend this protection to people.'
Former President Joe Biden’s administration provided TPS to migrants from a number of nations, including Venezuela, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Honduras.
With just 10 days left in Biden’s presidency, former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced an 18-month extension to TPS for Ukraine, Sudan, El Salvador, and Venezuela.
The last-minute extension would have granted Venezuelan nationals deportation protections until October 2026.
Mayorkas contended that the extension was necessary due to “conditions in Venezuela,” stating that the country has experienced food insecurity, a lack of access to basic services, a health crisis, political repression, and criminal activity.
However, on Tuesday, Noem vacated Mayorkas’ notice for Venezuela. The existing extensions are slated to expire in April and September.
Noem stated that the DHS is required to decide at regular intervals whether to extend protections. She argued that Mayorkas’ last-minute extension was announced too early “given the exceedingly brief period” since the initial issue date.
The New York Times reported that Noem’s decision could impact more than 600,000 Venezuelan nationals currently residing in the U.S.
A DHS official told the Times that Mayorkas’ extension appeared to be an effort to tie the Trump administration’s hands.
Noem must decide by Saturday whether she would like to issue her own TPS extension. If she does not decide by then, TPS for Venezuelans will be extended for another six months.
Noem told Fox News, “Before he left town, Mayorkas signed an order that said for 18 months they were going to extend this protection to people that are on temporary protected status, which meant that they were going to be able to stay here and violate our laws for another 18 months.”
“We stopped that,” she declared.
The influx of Venezuelan nationals arriving in the U.S. has brought with it the violent transnational gang Tren de Aragua. The notorious group has been linked to crimes across the nation, including apartment takeovers in Colorado. The Trump administration has pledged to prioritize removing these dangerous offenders from the streets.
Noem joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on their first raids in New York City, where officers captured a TDA gang leader who was captured on surveillance video storming through an Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex in August with other armed men.
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