Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is no longer serving as President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Shield of the Americas initiative. The State Department confirmed the change on Thursday.
Envoy role ends quietly
A State Department official told CBS News that Noem’s envoy status expired last month, shortly before the United Nations General Assembly. “Kristi Noem’s envoy status expired last month and she is no longer in the role,” the official said.
“She is now a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary Landau and continues to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.”
What the shield of the Americas is
The Shield of the Americas is a security coalition of the United States and several Caribbean and Latin American countries. It focuses on anti-cartel efforts, economic cooperation and broader Western Hemisphere security.
Trump appointed Noem to the envoy post in March 2026 after removing her as Homeland Security secretary. She was replaced at DHS by Markwayne Mullin.
During her envoy period, Noem held limited public engagements. These included a meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, talks with Ecuadorian and Colombian diplomats in Washington in September and side meetings with regional leaders at the UN General Assembly. Trump publicly thanked her for her work at one of those gatherings.
New role continues the same work
Although the formal envoy title has ended, Noem will keep working on the same issues as a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Officials described the move as a normal administrative change rather than a full departure from the initiative.
The confirmation comes amid broader personnel shifts in the administration. Noem’s public profile has been lower since leaving the Cabinet but she remains involved in regional security coordination.
