President Donald Trump plans to continue his strict immigration enforcement policies under the guidance of key adviser Stephen Miller, despite removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from her position, according to current and former government officials and congressional members.
Trump terminated Noem’s role on Thursday following months of disputes over aggressive immigration enforcement methods and congressional concerns regarding department contracts and internal chaos within her agency.
However, Miller — who serves as White House deputy chief of staff and designs Trump’s immigration policies — maintains his authority over immigration matters, according to three government officials. Trump’s selection for the next homeland security secretary, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, is considered to share Trump’s strict immigration stance.
“Stephen is a survivor,” one official commented, speaking anonymously about internal White House operations. The source indicated that Noem’s dismissal reflected concerns about policy implementation rather than opposition to Trump’s restrictive immigration agenda.
When asked for comment, a White House representative stated that Miller coordinates various issues — spanning from immigration to anti-cartel activities — and is “working to ensure the President’s policy agenda is implemented.”
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Mullin’s office provided responses to comment requests.
Trump secured his return to the White House in 2024 through a campaign emphasizing the prevention of unauthorized immigration and increased deportations. Immigration served as one of Trump’s strongest polling topics after taking office and became a central Republican Party priority. However, following criticism of aggressive enforcement in American cities, public support for his immigration policies has decreased in recent months, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling data.
Republicans maintain slim majorities in both congressional chambers but face November midterm elections that could threaten their Washington control.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt posted on X Thursday regarding Noem’s removal, stating that Trump’s immigration objectives remain constant.
“President Trump’s immigration agenda is keeping our border secure and deporting illegal alien criminals from our country, and it will continue without interruption,” she declared.
During Noem’s tenure, DHS deployed thousands of federal immigration officers to Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and other Democrat-controlled cities to locate immigration violators, conducting operations in residential areas and pursuing day workers in Home Depot parking facilities.
Following the fatal shooting of two American citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — by federal agents in Minneapolis, the administration announced it would adopt a less visible “targeted” strategy for immigration arrests.
Current and former federal immigration personnel reported no immediate policy changes since Noem’s departure announcement, though several anticipated the administration would continue avoiding high-profile operations in American cities after the Minneapolis incident.
The 48-year-old Mullin joined the Senate in 2023 after serving ten years in the House of Representatives. Similar to Noem, he operates a ranch and owns a cattle operation in Oklahoma that doubles as a wedding venue among other enterprises.
Despite being a freshman senator, Mullin has distinguished himself among the 100 senators, occasionally presiding over Senate sessions while wearing a prominent, light-colored cowboy hat.
He briefly pursued mixed martial arts fighting and attracted significant media coverage in 2023 when he stood during a Senate hearing to challenge Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to “stand your butt up” and fight.
Mullin supported a Republican-backed funding measure last year that allocated a record $170 billion for immigration enforcement through September 2029 and endorses fundamental aspects of Trump’s immigration agenda.
Republican legislators commended Mullin following news of Trump’s nomination for DHS secretary, a role requiring Senate majority approval.
“He’s strong on the border and that’s what we need,” Missouri Republican Senator Eric Schmitt told reporters Thursday. “The deportations will continue.”
Noem faced harsh criticism from both parties for quickly labeling Good and Pretti as participants in “domestic terrorism” after their deaths and before completing a thorough investigation.
Mullin similarly characterized Pretti as dangerous despite video evidence contradicting that assertion. During a Fox News interview on January 24, the day Pretti died, he called Pretti “a deranged individual” who carried a loaded weapon and intended “to cause max damage.”
Capitol Hill Democrats celebrated Noem’s departure but maintained that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement methods require modification. Democrats have withheld DHS funding since mid-February attempting to pressure the White House toward more moderate approaches.
Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy indicated that funding negotiations operate from the White House and expressed doubt that Noem’s firing would resolve the deadlock.
“I think we’re better off without her, but she wasn’t running the department,” Murphy stated Thursday. “Stephen Miller runs that department and will continue to run the department so I don’t really think much will change.”
