President-elect Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing two sources.

Noem, once seen as a possible running mate for Trump, is currently serving her second four-year term as governor of South Dakota after a landslide re-election victory in 2022. She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the elections. Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Noem had a politically turbulent few months this year.

In April this year, she faced widespread backlash when she wrote in a memoir that she shot and killed an “untrainable” dog she “hated” on her family farm, prompting some Trump advisers to say they believed Noem’s stock in the former farm had fallen. presidential eyes at the time when she was still a VP candidate.

Both Trump’s campaign and Noem’s office did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster relief and the U.S. Secret Service.

Trump on Monday selected Tom Homan as his administration’s new “border czar.” Homan said he would prioritize the deportation of illegal immigrants who pose a threat to public safety and national security.