DHS orders Customs and Border Protection to remove all videos featuring ousted Kristi Noem at airports

DHS orders Customs and Border Protection to remove all videos featuring ousted Kristi Noem at airports Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s office asked whether any videos featuring Noem were still played at ports of entry – and if so, to remove them quickly - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The Department of Homeland Security is asking its largest law enforcement agency to remove any videos featuring former Secretary Kristi Noem that may still air at airports or other ports of entry, four months after she was ousted. In an email sent to Customs and Border Protection last week, obtained by HuffPost, Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s office asked the agency to report if any videos were currently playing. “If so, please kindly remove them as soon as possible and provide confirmation of removal,” the email stated last week, according to the news outlet. The reported email marks the department’s latest efforts to revamp outward-facing policies since Mullin took over Noem’s responsibilities. Mullin has opted for a lower-profile approach to immigration enforcement – with his most recent action being the removal of “Protect the Homeland” branding on vehicles to make them more discreet, Politico reported. The Independent has asked the Department of Homeland Security for comment. Noem had faced steep controversy while leading DHS, including for aggressive immigration enforcement operations, in which federal agents killed two U.S. citizens and injured dozens of others during protests. Internally, Mullin has also made an effort to remove Noem’s personal branding from the department. While serving as secretary of DHS, Noem prominently featured herself in videos and advertisements – some of which were subject to intense scrutiny. Lawmakers had specifically questioned Noem’s $220 million ad campaign, which featured her riding a horse near Mount Rushmore. The former secretary ultimately met her fate after telling lawmakers the president had signed off on the controversial ad campaign. Trump later fired Noem from her position. Days after President Donald Trump fired Noem, “glamor shots” of the former secretary, hung on the walls of Customs and Border Protection, were taken down. Noem was also featured in PSA-style videos that warned undocumented immigrants not to come into the United States or risk deportation. During a government shutdown, triggered by lawmakers who refused to fund DHS due to harsh immigration enforcement operations, several airports refused to show a video of Noem blaming Democrats for the shutdown – which meant no payment for TSA employees. Airports said the video violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits civilian federal employees from engaging in partisan activities. Among other changes that Mullin has made internally, he has reversed a policy that had required Noem to sign off on any contract or grant worth more than $100,000, scaled back plans to acquire warehouses for immigration detention holding centers and returned ICE training to its regular standard. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] If you see something say something EWS EMERGENCY VISUA On the ground, at sea and in the skies. SEESAYY evel 2 MON