A growing number of public safety groups is calling on the U.S. Senate to quickly approve President-elect Donald Trump’s homeland security cabinet pick, particularly in the wake of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.
The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association is the latest group to publicly voice its support for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s nomination as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The group, which represents Ohio’s 88 sheriffs, penned a letter to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Noem, citing the New Orleans terrorist attack and the wide-open southern border.
“In addition to the confidence of President Donald J. Trump, Governor Noem has earned unanimous support from the largest national law enforcement unions and the hundreds of thousands of men and women they represent,” Robert A. Cornwell, the group’s executive director, wrote.
“There is important work to be done to secure our border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” Cornwell added. “Criminal aliens have overrun our border and threaten citizens in every state of the Union. Considering the recent acts of terrorism in Louisianna and Nevada, the United States Senate must confirm Governor Noem as soon as possible.”
In Louisiana, an American-born United States Army veteran who had been radicalized and pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State drove a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring roughly three dozen. In Nevada, a Green Beret committed suicide outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and set fire to a Tesla Cybertruck, which officials initially feared was a terrorist attack.
The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association joined a growing chorus of public safety organizations urging Noem’s confirmation. The Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), the International Union of Police Associations, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Broward Deputy Sheriffs Association in southern Florida are among the groups that have previously publicly endorsed Noem.
“Open Borders, failure to enforce our immigration laws and Sanctuary Cities have contributed to an epidemic of crime in our communities,” Michael Haynes, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman’s Association, wrote in a letter to Paul. “…Too many limited resources are being spent on people in our country illegally. Our nation is facing a security crisis.”
Last month, the Republican Governors Association also sent a letter to U.S. Senate leaders calling for the quick confirmation of Noem, who became South Dakota’s 33rd governor in January 2019.
“Governor Noem has demonstrated a deep commitment to upholding the rule of law, protecting our borders, and ensuring the safety and security of the American people,” the RGA wrote.
Noem, who, at one point, was considered a possible candidate for Trump’s vice president, has been a staunch advocate of the former and incoming president.
“Kristi has been very strong on Border Security,” CNN quoted Trump as saying in a statement announcing Noem’s nomination. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”
Last month, in her 2024 budget address, Noem addressed safety and the southern border. Like other governors, she has deployed the South Dakota National Guard to the southern border multiple times.
“One of the core responsibilities of the government is to guarantee the safety and security of our people – to protect their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Noem said in the address. I am proud of all that we have done in the last six years to improve the safety of our people.
“...I have increased resources to combat the horror of human trafficking,” Noem added. “And when President Trump secures the Southern Border, we’ll cut off the primary pipeline for human trafficking into our country.”
