Kristi Noem: A rural figure to run the Department of Homeland Security
The governor of South Dakota will go before the Senate Friday to receive her approval to run the DHS and oversee the borders.

Kristi Noem alongside Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
The stir caused by Kristi Noem's book perhaps robbed her of the possibility of having been named vice president of the United States. That anecdote, in which the South Dakota native told how she had to end the life of a violent dog, also made her known outside her state and in the media ready by many citizens outside national politics.
Kristi Noem is Donald Trump's choice to fill the position vacated by Alejandro Mayorkas at the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The institution was founded in the years of George W. Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that now has a very different challenge: immigration.
This challenge will give much to talk about in the next four years of Republican presidency due to Trump's hard hand promises with illegal migrants, having promised massive deportations. Along with Tom Homan, named future border czar, Noem will be the most visible face of some of the most talked-about policies of the next federal administration.
From farmer to legislator
Kristi Noem never finished her studies at Northern State University. After her father's death in a work accident, she returned home to Watertown, S.D., to take over the family farm with her siblings. The business, despite Kristi Noem's youth, flourished.
It was only after this stage was over when Noem entered the world of politics and made a place for herself in the South Dakota House of Representatives, a state in which Noem's profile was well received by the voters of the seventh most rural state in the country.
During her time in the South Dakota House, she promoted several reform laws in defense of the Second Amendment and the carrying of guns in the state.
By the end of her time in the House, Noem returned to school and pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Mount Marty College. She had not yet finished her studies when she won the Republican primary for South Dakota's single district for the U.S. House of Representatives.
In that stint on Capitol Hill, Noem held positions similar to those she championed in the South Dakota state House. She led key initiatives in crafting the Farm Bill of 2014 and supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. After a few early years, she became one of the big names in the Republican Party, but in 2019, she left Congress to return to South Dakota to run for governor.
Support for Trump's immigration measures
She also backed a temporary ban on refugees from terrorist-controlled areas, citing national security concerns. The order, known as the "travel ban," led to confusion at airports and the detention of some green card holders and dual citizens returning to the U.S.
Noem would not comment on these aspects of the order or its broader implications for legal U.S. residents. The executive order faced widespread criticism and legal challenges, and was ultimately reviewed and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Freedom during the COVID pandemic
Back in South Dakota, Noem's management of the COVID-19 pandemic drew national attention and was a point of contention in the broader debate over how to manage the health crisis. Despite criticism, the Republican governor argued that her policies balanced public health concerns with economic needs and personal freedoms.
Noem's state government did not impose a statewide lockdown or mandate the wearing of masks. It kept businesses open and allowed local governments to make their own decisions about restrictions.
South Dakota became one of the few states without strict mandates during the pandemic. Noem faced criticism from some public health experts, but maintained that her approach helped the state's economy remain stable. She promoted the idea of herd immunity and resisted national calls for stricter measures. The state's health care system was not overwhelmed, despite the strains it suffered at times.