Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is no longer serving as the Trump administration’s special envoy to the “Shield of the Americas” coalition, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcasting partner.
The change marks another shift for Noem, who took on the envoy assignment only after being pushed out of the top job at the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott addressed the matter Thursday evening in an interview with NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer. Pigott said the former secretary’s time as special envoy had come to an end, but he did not elaborate on the reasoning behind her departure from the role.
“We’ve seen the secretary’s time as envoy expire,” Pigott said. “She continues to be at the State Department as a senior adviser.”
That means Noem, while no longer holding the special envoy title, has not left the State Department altogether, according to Pigott.
CBS News was the first outlet to report that Noem was no longer in the envoy role.
President Trump announced that Noem would assume the role of special envoy for the newly created Shield of the Americas initiative after she was fired as Homeland Security secretary in March.
Her removal from the department’s highest office followed controversial immigration enforcement operations that led to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Noem branded one of those individuals a “domestic terrorist.”
The Minneapolis shootings were not the only source of controversy during her time at the helm of DHS. Noem’s Homeland Security tenure was shrouded in controversy, including scrutiny surrounding her relationship and association with Corey Lewandowski, a former adviser for the department.
House Democrats opened an investigation into Lewandowski in March, the same month Noem was fired as secretary.
Despite the end of her time as envoy, Pigott said Thursday that Noem would remain working on the Shield of the Americas initiative. However, he declined to provide specifics on what that continued involvement would entail, leaving open questions about the scope of her work going forward.
Pigott characterized the move as a normal part of how such positions function within the administration, signaling that the State Department does not view the shift as unusual.
“There’s always these types of changes that happen,” Pigott said. “This is part of what’s happening with these positions. But, certainly, we remain dedicated to implementing the president’s agenda across the board.”
Pigott offered no further explanation for the change during Thursday’s interview, and he did not say why Noem’s time as envoy had expired.
The development closes one chapter in Noem’s role within the Trump administration, though she remains at the State Department as a senior adviser and, according to Pigott, continues to work on the Shield of the Americas initiative that she was tapped to lead as special envoy following her exit from Homeland Security in March.
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