Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday the department has stopped all grant funding to nonprofits that operate outside of government control, saying they have been "perverted into a shadow government" that feeds illegal immigration.

Noem's full name is Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem and she was born in 1971 in Watertown, in east central South Dakota. The city is in Codington County about 187 miles northeast of the state's capital Pierre. The new Secretary of Homeland Security is married to Bryon Noem.

Kristi Noem joined the operations just days after she was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal agents Tuesday in New York City to announce the arrests of immigrants wanted on criminal charges, including a man accused of kidnapping who was seen on a viral video entering a Colorado apartment with reputed gang members.

After a scheduling hiccup, Kristi Noem was finally sworn in Saturday as Department of Homeland Security secretary.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, the firebrand who gained a national spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, was confirmed by the Senate.

The job has proved fiendishly difficult in the Trump era. During his first term, the president cycled through no fewer than six Homeland Security chiefs.

Newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has hit the ground running, participating as an observer in a New York immigration raid, just days after her swearing-in. Her involvement aligns with President Donald Trump's commitment to escalating deportations,