President-elect Donald Trump has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to two people familiar with the matter.

“Kristi has been very strong on border security,” Trump said in a statement formally announcing his choice later Tuesday.

“She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and ensure our American homeland is safe from our adversaries,” he added.

Noem was chosen to take over the agency as two key immigration hardliners – Stephen Miller And Tom Homan — are expected to take leadership positions, indicating that Trump is serious about cracking down on his immigration promises. By choosing Noem, Trump ensures that a loyalist will lead an agency that he prioritizes and that is key to his domestic agenda.

The department experienced immense turmoil the last time Trump was in office. DHS then had five different leaders, only two of whom were confirmed by the Senate. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Noem, who previously served as a representative from South Dakota, will now be tasked with overseeing a sprawling agency that oversees everything from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Secret Service.

Although Noem does not represent a border state, she has a long history of taking hardline stances on immigration. As a candidate for Congress in 2010, she supported an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Senate Republicans to thwart an Obama administration lawsuit challenging an Arizona immigration law. She also has called to punish Democratic-run “sanctuary cities” that protected undocumented immigrants by failing to cooperate with federal agencies during Trump’s first term.

As governor, Noem fought with her state’s indigenous tribes, suggesting that tribal leaders were more focused on drug cartel profits than their children, comments that led to her being banned from some tribal lands. As DHS secretary, Noem would be in charge of a department involved in tribal issues.

Longtime Trump loyalist

Since taking office in 2019, Noem has established herself politically as a Trump-style governor and has long sought to curry favor with the president-elect. She was a noisy opponent Covid-19 safety measures such as mask-wearing and closing businesses and churches, and once said at a National Rifle Association event that his 2-year-old grandson owned several weapons. In 2020, The New York Times reported that Noem once presented Trump with a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that added his face to the pantheon of American presidents and that she was one of the first governors to support him before his 2024 presidential bid.

Trump, in turn, called Noem a “great person,” and she was once considered a top potential running mate as he prepared for his 2024 bid. But she was ultimately removed from the shortlist and then suffered a embarrassing political episode following the publication of his book: “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward”. In it, she revealed that she had previously killed her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, Cricket, despite not showing the signs of an ideal hunting dog.

The governor wrote that the dog was “untrainable,” according to excerpts first reported by The guardian. Noem later argued that these anecdotes were meant to show how capable she is of doing some of life’s most gruesome jobs when necessary.

Noem nevertheless remains a loyal ally of Trump. In the final weeks of the 2024 campaign, The Atlantic reported that Noem participated in a strategy briefing with Trump, questioning campaign officials’ conclusions about the state of the race. And she hosted a memorable town hall in October when Trump influenced by music for more than 30 minutes.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Michelle Shen contributed to this report.

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