From 'good riddance' to congrats for her successor, Kentucky leaders offer their takes on Noem exit
By Josh James
March 5, 2026 at 10:44 PM EST
Kentucky leaders are reacting to the departure of now former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Following the announcement that President Donald Trump would be replacing Noem and tapping Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin for the job, critics of the controversial outgoing secretary cheered the news.
Kentucky's lone Democrat in Washington, Rep. Morgan McGarvey posted "Good riddance," going on to urge the president to do the same to Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth.
https://x.com/RepMcGarvey/status/2029638064205688902
A spokesperson for Gov. Andy Beshear told WUKY that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has "a body count under ex-Sec. Noem," and that Beshear continues to call for "every single ICE agent to be retrained."
Sen. Rand Paul, who voted for Noem's confirmation in 2025, did not immediately post a response. Though he has been critical of the aggressive tactics seen in Minnesota and elsewhere, Paul had stopped short of calling for Noem's ouster.
The senator told telling Katie Couric two weeks ago that "the way that ICE is being run has destroyed trust in ICE."
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Andy Barr congratulated Sen. Mullin on the promotion, saying "no one fights harder than Markwayne."
https://x.com/barrforsenate/status/2029639372652368232
The post came just days after Barr released a campaign ad touting his support for ICE, saying, "I love ICE. That's why I helped President Trump triple the number of ICE agents."
Noem thanked Trump in a post on X for appointing her as the "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas" after she was removed from the top DHS post.
Kentucky's lone Democrat in Washington, Rep. Morgan McGarvey posted "Good riddance," going on to urge the president to do the same to Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth.
https://x.com/RepMcGarvey/status/2029638064205688902
A spokesperson for Gov. Andy Beshear told WUKY that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has "a body count under ex-Sec. Noem," and that Beshear continues to call for "every single ICE agent to be retrained."
Sen. Rand Paul, who voted for Noem's confirmation in 2025, did not immediately post a response. Though he has been critical of the aggressive tactics seen in Minnesota and elsewhere, Paul had stopped short of calling for Noem's ouster.
The senator told telling Katie Couric two weeks ago that "the way that ICE is being run has destroyed trust in ICE."
Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Andy Barr congratulated Sen. Mullin on the promotion, saying "no one fights harder than Markwayne."
https://x.com/barrforsenate/status/2029639372652368232
The post came just days after Barr released a campaign ad touting his support for ICE, saying, "I love ICE. That's why I helped President Trump triple the number of ICE agents."
Noem thanked Trump in a post on X for appointing her as the "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas" after she was removed from the top DHS post.