South Dakotans have 'zero faith' in Kristi Noem's ability to do Trump-assigned job: report

Donald Trump tapped South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security, but some residents back home doubt she's qualified to keep the nation safe.

The Republican governor's handling of several key issues in her home state prompted some residents to express doubts that she could successfully manage the sprawling bureaucracy at DHS, which secures the border, enforces immigration and customs laws and oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service, reported CNN.

“I have zero faith that Gov. Noem is going to be instrumental in helping after a natural disaster,” said Renae Hansen, who manages a nonprofit on McCook Lake, which flooded over the summer. “They better make a plan for themselves. It was everyone for yourself when it came down to our disaster … our city failed us, our county failed us, and our state failed us.”

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Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the June flooding expected their governor to seek a federal disaster declaration and deploy the National Guard to protect their property or help with recovery, but Noem – who at the time was a leading contender to be Trump's running mate – had already sent many of the state's guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“She was not here for us,” said Shelly Lewis, a longtime Noem supporter who lost her home and all her family's possessions in the flood. “This is my home. You ignored your state.”

Trump has promised mass deportations of millions of migrants, but Noem's allegiance to Trump's hardline views has many South Dakota farmers – who rely on immigrant workers to raise cattle and harvest crops – nervous about her leadership over agencies that would carry out those plans.

“How are they going to do that?” said dairy farmer Greg Moes. “Nobody will be filling the shelves. Nobody will be producing food.”