Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees are reportedly celebrating a symbolic shift in agency culture this week as maintenance crews removed a series of stylized “glamour shots” featuring former Secretary Kristi Noem from the agency’s headquarters.
The removal of the portraits follows Noem’s March 5 dismissal by President Donald Trump and the Tuesday swearing-in of her successor, former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. According to internal sources cited by The Washington Examiner, the gallery’s dismantling began even before Noem officially vacated her post.
The portraits, installed in January, became a flashpoint for internal resentment within Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Staffers report that Noem’s team aggressively redecorated the workspace, displacing photos of rank-and-file federal agents to make room for approximately 10 high-production images of the former South Dakota governor.
The collection reportedly featured Noem in various curated scenarios, including:
- An image of Noem driving an all-terrain vehicle while wearing a bulletproof vest and a pearl necklace.
- A shot of the Secretary flying an aircraft.
- A photograph where four federal employees are blurred in the background, leaving only a sharp, focused image of Noem wearing an ICE-branded cap.
“No leader that I know would have allowed that to happen,” one department official stated, describing the installation as a “turn-off” that prompted frequent derision among career staff.
Speculation within the agency points to Corey Lewandowski, a former special government employee at DHS, as the architect of the self-promotional gallery. Lewandowski exited the department alongside Noem earlier this month.
Critics argue the focus on optics mirrored broader administrative friction. During her brief tenure, Noem faced intense scrutiny over a $200 million advertising blitz and a controversial immigration crackdown in Minnesota. These initiatives, combined with reported feuds with other department heads, left the agency’s internal morale at a low ebb.
The transition to Secretary Markwayne Mullin has brought a palpable sense of relief to the Foggy Bottom headquarters. Senior officials expressed hope that Mullin will prioritize operational stability over personal branding.
“He has the opportunity to… save everybody from this freaking chaos,” one senior official remarked. “All he has to do, literally, is put things back in a normal order.”
As the “glamour shots” are replaced with standard agency photography, the DHS workforce appears ready to distance itself from the controversies that defined the Noem era.
