Kristi Noem's ICE raid photo-op sparked backlash as social media mocked her "ICE Barbie" look, while immigration arrests surge under Trump's administration.

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary on Saturday, putting the South Dakota governor in charge of a sprawling agency that is essential to national security and President Donald Trump's plans to clamp down on illegal immigration.

The two term South Dakota Gov. was tapped by Trump in November and will be key in enacting the new president's mass deportation plan.

Larry Rhoden was officially sworn in as governor of South Dakota on Saturday following the resignation of former Gov. Kristi Noem, who stepped down to assume the role of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

The farmer and small-business owner turned elected official has made headlines for being a possible vice presidential candidate and killing an "untrainable" dog.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s confirmation as a Trump cabinet secretary probably surprised some people who thought her career ended nine months ago with a notoriously disastrous book release. It’s no surprise to Noem,

Kristi Noem to be America's new Secretary of Homeland ... anecdote that she had met reclusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un during her time in Congress. The story was later revealed to be ...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and will lead the Department of Homeland Security

Kristi Noem, South Dakota's firebrand Republican governor, faced questioning Friday at her confirmation hearing to be secretary of homeland security. Noem, the daughter of a farmer and a former representative from South Dakota, is being questioned before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The job has proved fiendishly difficult in the Trump era. During his first term, the president cycled through no fewer than six Homeland Security chiefs.

The Senate voted on Saturday to confirm Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, putting a former South Dakota governor in charge of the department at the heart of President Trump’s agenda to crack down on immigration. The vote was 59 to 34, and she was sworn-in on Saturday afternoon by the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden did not deviate greatly from Noem's executive agenda, but there are early differences between the administrations.