After she was removed from her position at Homeland Security, Secretary Noem was given the position of special envoy for “Shield of the Americas,” which will hit similar issues, including immigrants in the country illegally, transnational trafficking, and border crossings.
It involves a regional coalition of Latin American countries that will work together on ideological and policy initiatives to help secure the Western Hemisphere, according to the White House.
Gee, that sounds boring.
The Shield of the Americas will be guided in part by the president’s foreign policy initiatives dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine,” his version of the Monroe Doctrine. The administration has described the doctrine as enlisting “established friends” in the Western Hemisphere to pursue U.S. aims and expanding ties by “cultivating and strengthening new partners.”
A summit making the Shield of the Americas official is set to take place this weekend in Miami, and it may largely focus on counterterrorism measures in the region with Latin American leaders.
Noem will work with foreign leaders in both North and South America. The Trump administration has maintained a heavy interest in connecting with Latin American leaders to combat human smuggling, drug trafficking, and undocumented immigration.
Thirteen heads of Latin American countries are expected to be present at the Miami summit this weekend. Some notable names, according to the White House, include Argentine President Javier Milei, Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele Ortez, and Honduran President Nasry “Tito” Asfura.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is expected to succeed Noem as DHS secretary on March 31 but will need to be confirmed by the Senate. It’s unclear when Noem will depart from her role as secretary. However, the president said additional details will be revealed at the Miami summit on Saturday.
Chuck Schumer still won’t fund Homeland Security despite Kristi Noem leaving. Firing Kristi Noem was one of his demands.
Kristi Noem’s Response on X
Thank you, @POTUS Trump, for appointing me as the special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders, and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.
The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security.
We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion, and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard.
