Kristi Noem’s Controversial Legacy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 41 Deaths, Murders, and Serious Corruption Allegations

Original article: El legado de Kristi Noem en el Depto. de Seguridad Interna de EEUU: 41 muertos bajo su custodia, asesinatos y una acusación grave de corrupción

This week, President Donald Trump announced that Kristi Noem will step down as the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to become the «Special Envoy» for the country’s new initiative known as the «Shield of the Americas.»

According to Trump, this «Shield» represents «a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere» that will be officially presented on March 7 during a meeting attended by the presidents and prime ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and also the elected president of Chile, José Kast.

In light of Kristi Noem’s confirmation of departure from DHS, journalist Ricardo Pérez Trejo published an overview in Red América detailing her legacy at the agency, where she oversaw a ruthless crackdown on immigrants—through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—that drew backlash for its cruelty and resulted in the murders of U.S. citizens.

“In the 13 months Kristi Noem led DHS, at least 41 individuals died in the custody of immigration authorities; agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot and killed U.S. citizens at close range, detained hundreds of thousands of minors, and arrested over 700,000 individuals for allegedly residing illegally in the so-called land of the free,” the journalist noted.

He further recalled that “under the leadership of the former governor of South Dakota, ICE agents not only shot and killed poet Renee Good and nurse Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis, but also left Nurun Amin Shah Alam, a blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, stranded without shoes in subzero temperatures without notifying his family, and his body was found dead two weeks ago in Buffalo, New York.”

Adding to these concerns are serious corruption allegations that recently came to light, as Democratic lawmakers revealed during a hearing on March 5 that Noem «spent 220 million dollars on her infamous anti-immigration campaign—where she was featured in photos horseback riding in front of Mount Rushmore, among other excesses—funds that were paid to a company linked to the federal official herself.»

Read the full report HERE