| United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
|---|---|
Seal of the Department of Homeland Security | |
Flag of the secretary | |
since January 25, 2025 | |
| Department of Homeland Security | |
| Style | Madam Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member of | Cabinet Homeland Security Council National Security Council |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | St. Elizabeths West Campus,Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 6 U.S.C. § 112 |
| Formation | January 24, 2003 (22 years ago) (2003-01-24) |
| First holder | Tom Ridge |
| Succession | Eighteenth[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level I |
| Website | dhs.gov |
TheUnited States secretary of homeland security is the head of theUnited States Department of Homeland Security, thefederal department tasked with ensuringpublic safety in theUnited States. The secretary is a member of theCabinet of the United States. The position was created by theHomeland Security Act following theterrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as theCoast Guard, theFederal Protective Service,U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes theUnited States Border Patrol),U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), theUnited States Secret Service, theTransportation Security Administration and theFederal Emergency Management Agency.
The current secretary of homeland security since January 25, 2025 isKristi Noem.
Prior to the establishment of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there existed an assistant to the president for the Office of Homeland Security, which was created following theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001.
Republican (7) Democratic (4) Independent (5)
Denotesacting homeland security secretary
| No. | Portrait | Name | Senate vote | Term of office | State of residence | President | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | ||||||||
| 1 | Tom Ridge (Born Aug 26, 1945) | 94–0 | January 24, 2003 | February 1, 2005 | 2 years, 8 days | George W. Bush (2001–2009) | ||||
| – | James Loy[a] (Born Aug 10, 1942) Acting | – | February 1, 2005 | February 15, 2005 | 14 days | |||||
| 2 | Michael Chertoff (Born Nov 28, 1953) | 98–0 | February 15, 2005 | January 21, 2009 | 3 years, 341 days | |||||
| 3 | Janet Napolitano (Born Nov 29, 1957) | Voice vote | January 21, 2009 | September 6, 2013 | 4 years, 228 days | Barack Obama (2009–2017) | ||||
| – | Rand Beers[b] (Born Nov 30, 1942) Acting | – | September 6, 2013 | December 23, 2013 | 108 days | |||||
| 4 | Jeh Johnson (Born Sept 11, 1957) | 78–16 | December 23, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | 3 years, 28 days | |||||
| 5 | John F. Kelly (Born May 11, 1950) | 88–11 | January 20, 2017 | July 31, 2017 | 192 days | Donald Trump (2017–2021) | ||||
| – | Elaine Duke[c] (Born June 26, 1958) Acting | – | July 31, 2017 | December 6, 2017 | 128 days | |||||
| 6 | Kirstjen Nielsen (Born May 14, 1972) | 62–37 | December 6, 2017 | April 10, 2019 | 1 year, 125 days | |||||
| – | Kevin McAleenan[d] (Born Sept 5, 1971) Acting;unlawful tenure | – | April 10, 2019 | November 13, 2019 | 217 days | |||||
| – | Chad Wolf[e] (Born June 21, 1976) Acting;unlawful tenure | – | November 13, 2019 | January 11, 2021 | 1 year, 59 days | |||||
| – | Pete Gaynor[f] (Born 1968) Acting | – | January 11, 2021 | January 20, 2021 | 9 days | |||||
| – | David Pekoske[g] (Born May 5, 1955) Acting | – | January 20, 2021 | February 2, 2021 | 13 days | Joe Biden (2021–2025) | ||||
| 7 | Alejandro Mayorkas (Born Nov 24, 1959) | 56–43 | February 2, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 353 days | |||||
| – | Benjamine Huffman[h] Acting | – | January 20, 2025 | January 25, 2025 | 5 days | Donald Trump (2025–present) | ||||
| 8 | Kristi Noem (Born Nov 30, 1971) | 59–34 | January 25, 2025 | Incumbent | 302 days | |||||
a.^ James Loy served as acting secretary in his capacity asDeputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
b.^ Rand Beers served as acting secretary in his capacity asconfirmedUndersecretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs and Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security; Beers was the highest rankingSenate-approved presidential appointee at the Department of Homeland Security.
c.^ Elaine Duke served as acting secretary in her capacity asDeputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
d.^ Kevin McAleenan served as acting secretary in his capacity as Commissioner ofCustoms and Border Protection. His tenure wasruled unlawful.
e.^ Chad Wolf served as acting secretary in his capacity asUnder Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans. His tenure wasruled unlawful.
f.^ Peter Gaynor served as acting secretary in his capacity asFederal Emergency Management Agency Administrator.
g.^ David Pekoske served as acting secretary in his capacity as Administrator of theTransportation Security Administration
h.^ Benjamine Huffman served as acting secretary in his capacity as Director of theFederal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
While appointment of acting officials is generally governed by theFederal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (FVRA), theHomeland Security Act of 2002 creates exceptions to FVRA, mandating that theunder secretary of homeland security for management is third in the line of succession for Secretary of Homeland Security,[2] and establishes an alternate process by which the secretary can directly establish a line of succession outside the provisions of the FVRA.[3]
As of November 8, 2019, the order of succession is as follows.[4] However, thelegality of this update was challenged.[3][5][6]
Formerly, an April 10, 2019 update to the DHS Orders of Succession, made pursuant to theHomeland Security Act of 2002, provided a different order in the case of unavailability to act during a disaster or catastrophic emergency:[4]
As a result of Executive Order 13753 in 2016, the order of succession for the secretary of homeland security was as follows:[7]
George W. Bush nominatedBernard Kerik for the position in 2004. However a week later, Kerik withdrew his nomination, explaining that he had employed an illegal immigrant as a nanny.[8]
By July 2013,Raymond Kelly had served asCommissioner of theNew York City Police Department (NYPD) for nearly 12 straight years. Within days of Homeland Security secretaryJanet Napolitano's announcement that she was resigning, Kelly was soon cited as an obvious potential successor by New York senatorCharles Schumer and others.[9]
During a July 16, 2013, interview, President Obama referred generally to the "bunch of strong candidates" for nomination to head theDepartment of Homeland Security, but singled out Kelly as "one of the best there is" and "very well qualified for the job".[10]
Later in July 2013, the online internet news website/magazineHuffington Post detailed "a growing campaign to quash the potential nomination of New York City Police commissioner Raymond Kelly as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security" amid claims of "divisive, harmful, and ineffective policing that promotes stereotypes and profiling".[11] Days after that article, Kelly penned a statistics-heavyWall Street Journalopinion article defending the NYPD's programs, stating "the average number of stops we conduct is less than one per officer per week" and that this and other practices have led to "7,383 lives saved—and... they are largely the lives of young men of color."[12]
Kelly was also featured because of his NYPD retirement and unusually long tenure there in a long segment on theCBS News programSunday Morning in December 2013, especially raising the question of the controversial "stop and frisk" policy inNew York City and the long decline and drop of various types of crimes committed.
The Office of the Secretary (OS) oversees the execution of the duties of the Department of Homeland Security.[13] Certain elements also aid the Secretary of Homeland Security and senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as private sector and government partners in their duties.
The Office of the Secretary contains several offices and other elements of the DHS.[13] Most of the heads of these elements report directly to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary, but the Military Advisor and Executive Secretary report to theDHS Chief of Staff, a position that is currently vacant since January 2025.
While DHS SecretaryKristi Noem was participating in an immigration raid on April 8, 2025, she was accompanied by former Trump campaign manager and senior adviserCorey Lewandowski, who introduced himself to the federal agents as “chief of staff.” DHS later clarified that he is an adviser to DHS and a special government employee.[14]
| Component | Mission | Executives | Subordinate Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL)[15] |
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| Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB)[16] |
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| Climate Change Action Group[17] |
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| Office of the Executive Secretary (ESEC)[19] |
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| Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO)[21] |
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| Family Reunification Task Force[22] |
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| Includes the secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and State, as well as the Attorney General. It also includes several other officials from the DHS, DOJ, HHS, and State Department. |
| Office of the General Counsel (OGC)[23] |
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| Joint Requirements Council (JRC)[24] |
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| The JRC consists of the Principals Council – the operational Components (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), I&A, Management, CIO, Policy, and S&T. |
| Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)[25] |
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| Each area of responsibility is managed by a director. There's a DAS for the U.S. Senate, a DAS for the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Chief of Staff.
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| Office of the Military Advisor[26] |
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| Office of Partnership and Engagement (OPE)[27] |
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| Privacy Office[28] |
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| Office of Public Affairs (OPA)[29] |
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| Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans (OSP&P)[30] |
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| Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE)[31] |
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| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byasSecretary of Veterans Affairs | Order of precedence of the United States as Secretary of Homeland Security | Succeeded byasWhite House Chief of Staff |
| U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded by | 18th in line | Last |