DHS agents grumble Noem’s 'desire for publicity' makes it harder for them to do their jobs

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem hasn't been shy about being the face of the agency during President Donald Trump's second term. And some agents are privately wishing she would stay out of the way.

That's according to a Monday article in the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the former South Dakota Republican governor's repeated photo-ops and media availabilities have been ruffling the feathers of some unnamed DHS agents. The Journal's Michelle Hackman wrote that ahead of a January 28 raid that agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were conducting, Noem tweeted a photo of herself getting into a car while wearing an ICE baseball cap at 4:43 AM with the text: "Live this AM from NYC. I'm on it."

However, the raid was still ongoing, and some anonymous "ICE officials" confided to the Journal that Noem's tweet risked "undercutting the element of surprise." One chief complaint about Noem from agents was that her "desire for publicity interfered with the operations of the agency she is in charge of running."

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During a recent stunt, Noem was criticized for a photo in which she was seen pointing an assault rifle with a chambered round at the head of a nearby agent. Following that photo op, SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly — a staunch Trump supporter — used an episode of her podcast to complain about Noem's publicity stunts (while still lauding her performance at DHS secretary).

As the Journal mentioned, the DHS has spent hundreds of millions of dollars promoting an ad in which Noem tells undocumented immigrants to self-deport or else risk the wrath of the administration. She's also had photos displayed around DHS headquarters showing her in the cockpit of a Coast Guard plane, wearing a cowboy hat while riding on horseback and while riding an all-terrain vehicle near the Southern border. She even walked out onstage to the Trace Atkins song "Hot Mama" when introducing herself to DHS' workforce, according to Hackman. However, Republicans in Congress have so far said they have no problem with Noem's public-facing approach to the job.

“I think it’s great, the fact that she’s out in the field. She’s with the men and women that are serving, she’s been down at the border, she’s been to El Salvador,” Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who leads a House border security subcommittee, told the Journal. “I think we need more people willing to get out of their office, get out from behind their desks, get in the field to see the men and women that are working there and be able to see their needs firsthand.”

Hackman reported that Noem's position atop DHS is effectively a "consolation prize" after she was passed up in the 2024 running mate race for then-Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). Her duties are also somewhat duplicated by others closer in the Trump orbit including top immigration advisor Stephen Miller and "border czar" Tom Homan, who has spearheaded Trump's effort to deport millions of immigrants. Noem's reported "distrust" of Homan manifested through her abrupt appointment of 28 year-old Madison Sheahan —Noem's former campaign manager — as ICE director before informing Homan and other White House officials (Sheahan is now deputy ICE director).

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Click here to read the Journal's full report (subscription required).