Kristi Noem tightens her grip on the Department of Homeland Security

"Roughly 80% of career leadership at ICE has been fired or demoted under Noem's tenure, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation. The agency is under immense pressure to reach arrest and deportation goals. This includes the early demotion of the first acting agency director Caleb Vitello last February. Noem tried to replace Vitello with her political ally Madison Sheehan, who became deputy director before departing to run for Congress."

"At Customs and Border Protection, the agency that oversees Border Patrol, enforcement at ports of entry as well as tariff revenue collection, Noem reportedly tried to force out Commissioner Rodney Scott. Two people told the Washington Examiner that Noem and Lewandowski went to extreme lengths to pressure Scott to quit. He is Senate-confirmed and can only be fired by the president. Scott's leadership team was fired by DHS headquarters, kicking out a century of combined experience, according to the Examiner."

"Noem posted on Feb. 4 that she planned to refer a former staffer for criminal charges over alleged leaks. Lewandowski threatened felony charges for an alleged leaker in a X post on Feb. 10. Employees were ordered to take polygraph tests to find disloyal staffers, the Journal reported in May. Zoom out: Noem and Lewanowski fired her first FEMA chief in May after tension over how to dismantle the agency."

About 10% of Department of Homeland Security employees left in the past year amid extensive leadership turnover. ICE experienced the removal or demotion of roughly 80% of career leadership as the agency faced intense pressure to meet arrest and deportation targets, including the early demotion of acting director Caleb Vitello and rapid turnover around Madison Sheehan. At CBP, efforts were reportedly made to force out Commissioner Rodney Scott and his leadership team was dismissed by DHS headquarters. Both HR chiefs at ICE and CBP departed during a major hiring push. Alleged leaks prompted threats of criminal referrals, felony charges, and polygraph orders. FEMA saw two chiefs exit amid disputes, and repeated clashes occurred over ICE operations.

Read at Axios