Challenges in the Life of Kristi Noem in a Detailed Timeline

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Kristi Noem. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Kristi Noem is an American politician who served as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security from 2025 to 2026. As a Republican, she was the 33rd governor of South Dakota (2019-2025) and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives (2011-2019). Her time at DHS was marked by controversies surrounding her immigration policies and the actions of ICE.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1992: Family Business Burns Down

After leaving the Army, Sae Joon Park suffered from PTSD, and his family's business burned to the ground during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

March 1994: Father's Death and Return to Family Farm

In March 1994, Kristi Noem's father passed away in a grain bin accident. She left college early to manage the family farm.

2009: Sae Joon Park Arrested

In 2009, Sae Joon Park moved to Hawaii and was arrested for attempting to buy cocaine.

2015: Comparison to Indiana's RFRA Law

In 2015, the religious refusal law signed by Kristi Noem in 2021, resembles the 2015 bill signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Pence. This was the first major state RFRA law signed into law in six years.

February 2019: Comments on Trade War Impact

In February 2019, Kristi Noem stated that the Trump administration's trade wars with China and the European Union had devastated South Dakota's economy, particularly the agricultural sector.

November 18, 2019: Launch of "Meth. We're on It" Awareness Campaign

On November 18, 2019, Kristi Noem launched the "Meth. We're on It" meth awareness campaign. The campaign was widely mocked, and Noem faced criticism for spending $449,000 of public funds on an out-of-state advertising agency from Minnesota. She defended the campaign, claiming it successfully raised awareness.

2019: Veto of Hemp Legalization Bill

In 2019, Kristi Noem vetoed a bill that had passed the South Dakota House and Senate to legalize hemp cultivation. She expressed concerns about normalizing hemp and its potential impact on marijuana enforcement.

2019: Anti-protest Legislation

In 2019, Kristi Noem's office collaborated with TransCanada Corporation to develop anti-protest legislation in response to protests against the Keystone Pipeline. Noem signed the legislation into law, which created a fund to cover policing costs for pipeline protests. Another law was enacted to raise revenue for the fund by creating civil penalties for advising, directing, or encouraging participation in rioting, which led the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to ban Noem from their grounds.

2020: Opposition to Cannabis Legalization Measures

In 2020, Kristi Noem opposed two ballot measures in South Dakota aimed at legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. She stated concerns about the impact on communities and children. After both measures passed, Noem and two police officers filed a lawsuit challenging the measure legalizing recreational use, Amendment A.

2020: Legislation on Incitement to Riot

In 2020, after a federal court struck down sections of the anti-protest legislation as unconstitutional, Kristi Noem introduced legislation to repeal parts of the previous bill and clarify the definition of "incitement to riot".

2020: COVID-19 Cases Rise After Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

In 2020, after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in which Kristi Noem participated, COVID-19 cases rose sharply. Hospitalizations reached a then‑record 355 on October 22 (75 in ICUs).

2020: COVID-19 Outbreak at Smithfield Foods Plant

In early 2020, one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the US occurred at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The plant reported four deaths and nearly 1,300 infections among workers and family members. Noem stated that 99% of the cases weren't happening inside the plant. 48 workers were hospitalized.

January 6, 2021: Response to U.S. Capitol Attack

On January 6, 2021, after the U.S. Capitol attack, Kristi Noem spoke against the violence, supporting peaceful protest. The next day, she called the newly elected Democratic senators from Georgia, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, "communists" in an op-ed for The Federalist.

February 8, 2021: Amendment Struck Down as Unconstitutional

On February 8, 2021, circuit court judge Christina Klinger struck down the amendment to legalize recreational cannabis as unconstitutional.

March 8, 2021: Noem to Sign Women's Fairness in Sports Bill

On March 8, 2021, Kristi Noem announced on Twitter that she would sign H.B. 1217, the Women's Fairness in Sports Bill, into law. The bill bans transgender athletes from participating in women's school and college sports teams. Critics voiced concerns that the bill could deter business and cost the state money.

December 2021: Support for Fairness in Women's Sports Bill

In December 2021, Kristi Noem and her office signaled support for a bill called "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports". The bill would require young athletes to join teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.

2021: Signing of Religious Refusal Bill

In 2021, Kristi Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law, amending the state RFRA to allow business owners to deny products or services based on religious beliefs related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Critics argued that S.B. 124 would enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, women, and minority faiths.

January 21, 2022: Defeat of "Prayer Bill" in House Committee

On January 21, 2022, HB 1015, the "prayer bill", which sought to reintroduce prayer in schools, was defeated in the House Education Committee. An aide to Kristi Noem admitted that no schools were consulted about the proposal.

February 24, 2022: House Resolution 7004 Introduced

On February 24, 2022, Republican State Representative John Mills introduced House Resolution 7004, "Addressing the Governor's unacceptable actions in matters related to the appraiser certification program", against Kristi Noem.

2022: TikTok Ban on State Devices

In 2022, Kristi Noem issued an order banning TikTok from state-owned devices, citing concerns that the Chinese Communist Party uses the app to gather information and manipulate Americans.

2022: Proposal for Government-Paid RV Park

In 2022, Kristi Noem proposed locating a government-paid RV park in Custer State Park. The proposal faced significant opposition due to concerns about government competition with private businesses and disturbing the park's natural environment. The House Agricultural and Natural Resources committee deferred the bill, effectively killing it.

2022: Revocation of Legal Protections for Immigrants

In 2022, Kristi Noem revoked legal protections for 532,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who had settled in the U.S. since 2022.

2022: Legislature Rejects Gun Range Proposal

In 2022, Kristi Noem sought to build a gun range in Meade County with government funds, but the legislature rejected it.

2023: Tencent App Ban on State Devices

In 2023, Kristi Noem signed an order prohibiting the downloading or use of any application or visiting of any website owned by the Chinese company Tencent, including WeChat, on state-owned devices.

2023: Funneling of Funds into Personal Company

In 2023, while serving as South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem funneled $80,000 in fees from a nonprofit, American Resolve Policy Fund, into her personal company. She failed to disclose this payment in her federal ethics filings, potentially violating disclosure rules.

2024: Ban on Foreign Government Land Purchases

In 2024, Kristi Noem signed a bill prohibiting the governments of six countries—China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela—and entities from those countries from buying agricultural land in South Dakota.

2024: Tribal Bans on Noem's Entry

In 2024, all nine tribes of South Dakota banned Kristi Noem from entering any tribal lands, prohibiting her from entering almost 20% of South Dakota. Other media reported that one of the nine tribes, the Yankton Sioux, had not officially banned Noem. The Oglala Sioux banned Noem in February, followed by the Cheyenne River Sioux, the Standing Rock Sioux, and the Rosebud Sioux in April, and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, the Crow Creek Sioux, and the Flandreau Santee Sioux in May.

February 2025: Diversion of Coast Guard Resources

In February 2025, Kristi Noem instructed the National Command Center to divert a USCG C-130 Hercules from a search and rescue mission for a coast guardsman to a deportation mission, causing strain between the Coast Guard and DHS.

April 20, 2025: Purse Stolen in D.C.

On April 20, 2025, Kristi Noem's purse was stolen from a D.C. burger restaurant. The purse contained her government access badge, apartment keys, $2,000–3,000 in cash, her passport, and blank checks. The incident raised concerns about security.

June 2025: Sae Joon Park Deportation

In June 2025, Federal authorities told Sae Joon Park to self-deport or be deported by DHS officials. Representative Delia Ramirez has since called for Noem to resign or be impeached due to her statements to Congress and wants a Congressional investigation into possible violations.

June 2025: Report on Undisclosed Income

In June 2025, ProPublica reported that Kristi Noem failed to disclose past income from a dark money group in her federal ethics filings upon joining DHS, potentially violating disclosure rules.

December 12, 2025: Questioning on Veteran Deportations

During a December 12, 2025, committee hearing, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner questioned Kristi Noem about the deportation of U.S. veterans by DHS. He presented the case of Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart recipient who had been deported.

January 14, 2026: Introduction of Impeachment Articles

On January 14, 2026, Representative Robin Kelly introduced three articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem. The articles allege obstruction of congressional oversight, violation of public trust, and self-dealing.

January 2026: Defense of Federal Agents

In January 2026, Kristi Noem defended the killing of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents before any investigation, leading to calls for her resignation or impeachment.

January 2026: Unfounded Claims About Alex Pretti

In January 2026, Kristi Noem made "unfounded claims" that Alex Pretti, the US citizen shot dead by CBP officers during protests against ICE in Minneapolis, had committed an act of "domestic terrorism".

March 2026: Senate Committee Appearance

In March 2026, Kristi Noem appeared before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary regarding reports of a relationship with Corey Lewandowski and misuse of government funds, intensifying criticism and leading to her removal from DHS.

March 2026: Report of Potential Firing

In March 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was preparing to fire Kristi Noem amid fallout from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

March 2026: Reassignment and Nomination of Successor

In March 2026, Trump announced that he had reassigned Kristi Noem to a new position, "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas." Trump also announced that he would nominate Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin to succeed Noem at DHS. Mullin was sworn in March 2026 as Secretary of Department of Homeland Security.

2026: Incorrect Definition of Habeas Corpus

During a May 2026 Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the DHS budget, Kristi Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus, leading to a correction and further discussion on executive power. Noem's inaccurate statements about habeas corpus during the 2026 Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing sparked controversy.

2026: Homeland Security Controversies

In 2026, Kristi Noem's immigration policies as Secretary of Homeland Security generated controversies, particularly regarding the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).