Kristi Noem no longer Trump's Shield of the Americas envoy, State Department says

Envoy title lapsed

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is no longer the Trump administration's special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a State Department official told CBS News, which first reported the change on Thursday, Oct. 15. The official said her envoy status "expired last month" and that she no longer holds the role. ^[1]

According to CBS, the designation ran out shortly before the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Neither the official nor the outlet said why it was not renewed. ^{[1] [3]}

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the end of her envoy term separately to NewsNation, The Hill reported. He described the change as part of the normal process for such positions and did not give a reason. ^[2]

Still working on the portfolio

Noem has not left the administration. The State Department official told CBS she is now a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and continues to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio. Pigott likewise said she would keep working on the initiative but did not describe her duties, according to The Hill. ^{[1] [2]}

It is not clear whether anyone will be named to the envoy post, and none of the reports identified a successor. Noem had not commented publicly on the change in the reports reviewed. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

From DHS to the envoy post

President Donald Trump announced on March 5 that he was removing Noem from the Department of Homeland Security and would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her, the Associated Press reported. In the same announcement he said she would become special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. ^[4]

The AP noted that her removal came two days after she faced questioning from lawmakers of both parties on Capitol Hill, and that her tenure had been marked by immigration enforcement tactics that drew protests and lawsuits. CBS has reported that her management and the influence of her adviser Corey Lewandowski were under scrutiny at the time. ^{[4] [1]}

Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, began the envoy job with a March tour that took in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guyana and Ecuador, where she met President Daniel Noboa, Reuters reported. ^[5]

A low-profile tenure

The Shield of the Americas is a coalition of the United States and several Latin American and Caribbean governments launched on March 7, framed by Trump as a campaign against drug cartels. CBS describes it as covering economic cooperation and anti-cartel enforcement, among other issues. ^{[5] [1]}

CBS reported that Noem's public activity as envoy appears to have been limited. It cited the March meeting with Noboa, talks with Ecuadorian and Colombian diplomats in Washington in September, and meetings with regional leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, including another meeting with Noboa on Sept. 22. ^{[1] [3]}

The move leaves Noem in a staff role without a formal envoy title. Further detail on her responsibilities, or on who will represent the coalition for Washington, has not been announced. ^{[1] [2]}