Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has stepped down as special envoy for President Donald Trump's Shield of the Americas initiative following the expiration of her status in September 2026. Initially appointed in March 2026 after her removal from DHS over controversial immigration enforcement operations, Noem will remain at the State Department as a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau on the regional security portfolio.
Transition to senior adviser role
- ▪State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed on October 15, 2026 that former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's status as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas initiative expired in September 2026.
- ▪State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott and other officials confirmed that while Kristi Noem remains at the State Department as a senior adviser, the department has not detailed the specific scope of her revised duties.
- ▪Following the expiration of her special envoy designation, Kristi Noem transitions to a role as a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, continuing work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.
Kristi Noem's envoy activities
- ▪On September 22, 2026, Kristi Noem met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, whose government identified her as special envoy, and attended a Shield of the Americas gathering where President Donald Trump publicly praised her work.
- ▪Kristi Noem's envoy duties for the Shield of the Americas included a March 2026 five-country Latin America tour and discussions with Ecuadorian and Colombian diplomats in Washington in September 2026.
- ▪Kristi Noem met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in Quito on March 25, 2026 as part of her activities for the Shield of the Americas.
Removal from Homeland Security
- ▪President Donald Trump appointed Kristi Noem as special envoy in March 2026 after removing her as Homeland Security Secretary amid scrutiny of her department management and adviser Corey Lewandowski.
- ▪House Democrats opened an investigation in March 2026 into Corey Lewandowski's association and influence during Kristi Noem's tenure at the Department of Homeland Security.
- ▪Kristi Noem's removal from the Department of Homeland Security in March 2026 followed controversial immigration enforcement operations leading to fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
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