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Homeland Security agents are largely ready for new leadership after President Donald Trump ousted Kristi Noem as their boss on Thursday.<\/p>\n
One Border Patrol official said Noem\u2019s ousting \u201cwas bound to happen,\u201d citing her handling of immigration raids in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
Noem received backlash for labeling Alex Pretti, the anti-ICE activist who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, as a domestic terrorist before a federal investigation concluded.<\/p>\n
The agent also cited scrutiny Noem received for a reported<\/a> delay in border wall construction and an internal campaign the secretary reportedly spearheaded to oust Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott.<\/p>\n Scott is highly respected among federal law enforcement officials and previously served as the national chief of Border Patrol.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a questionable pick to begin with, no experience in the space,\u201d the agent said. \u201cWhat a train wreck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBetween the Minneapolis debacle, the slowdown on approving wall contracts, the suspected affair, and the attempt to oust Rodney, one of the most respected chiefs, she needed to go. What a disaster of a secretary,\u201d the agent added.<\/p>\n One Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer said the news of Noem\u2019s departure was \u201cnot surprising\u201d after Trump replaced Noem\u2019s ally and top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who was leading aggressive immigration raids in Minneapolis, after the Pretti shooting.<\/p>\n Trump swiftly sent in White House border czar Tom Homan, who shifted to conducting more targeted arrests in the Twin Cities, while brokering agreements with local law enforcement to work with ICE.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter she was pulled from Minneapolis and replaced by Homan, I saw the writing on the wall,\u201d the officer said.<\/p>\n A Border Patrol agent echoed that sentiment, saying Noem wasn\u2019t \u201clistening to Homan and Scott.\u201d The agent said she also \u201cthrew Bovino to the wolves.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump announced Noem\u2019s demotion in a Truth Social post, saying he will replace her with Republican Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a staunch ally of the president. Noem\u2019s firing came after she blamed Trump during a heated Congressional hearing for questionable $200 million TV ad contracts that promoted deportations and border security.<\/p>\n Hours before announcing the leadership change, Trump told Reuters that he had no knowledge of the expensive contracts.<\/p>\n Noem testified that the contracts \u201cwent out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.\u201d<\/p>\n But the contracts were awarded using \u201cother than full and open competition\u201d to a company formed days before, according to records obtained by The Daily Wire<\/a>. That company then subcontracted the work to a group run by the husband of Noem\u2019s former spokeswoman.<\/p>\n Now, Mullin will have to earn the trust of career law enforcement officials at the Department of Homeland Security who took issue with Noem over her lack of experience in the space.<\/p>\n Mullin doesn\u2019t have law enforcement experience either, but is a businessman, rancher, and MMA fighter, according to his official bio.<\/p>\n Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who has been calling on Noem to resign for weeks, said Mullin \u201cis a great guy and a great choice to lead DHS, restore competence, and refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid, keeping the border secure, and targeting violent illegal immigrants for deportation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother big positive: he likes dogs,\u201d he added, referring to Noem\u2019s book where she admitted to shooting her dog for misbehaving during a hunting outing.<\/p>\n Noem will finish out her term as secretary through the end of the month before Mullin takes over and begins a confirmation process, Trump said.<\/p>\n While Mullin has been characterized as a hawk on cracking down on illegal immigration and supporting Trump\u2019s mass deportation campaign, he received a C+ for his record on restricting legal immigration by the conservative immigration group NumbersUSA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mullin has yet to support legislation requiring employers to use the E-Verify immigration status check, according to the conservative organization.<\/p>\n He has also yet to join in on legislation to end chain migration, end birthright citizenship, and limit the number of foreign workers in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n