Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was fired from her role by President Trump at the beginning of this month on March 5th. During her position she was known for leading strict immigration enforcement missions filled with many controversies.

Trump said the reason for Noem’s firing was due to multiple controversies including her failure in leadership, conflicting with the heads of other agencies, and an ad campaign that cost $220 million. Sophomore, Joseph Contorno, believes that leaders should be held accountable when controversies happen because, “As leaders they need to hold and keep their councils and co-leaders accountable.” In place of Noem, Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will be taking her role. As for Noem, President Trump put her into a new role as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas where she will be focusing on overall strengthening security across the Western Hemisphere by dismantling drug cartels and strengthening borders.

About 55% of American citizens show approval of the decision to fire Noem and only 15% disapprove, according to a YouGov survey. Joseph Contorno says that it is a good thing for certain political leaders to be fired from their positions because, “As people we deserve the ability to have people fired and if they aren’t able to be fired it would be bad for us.” Therefore, the decision to fire Noem is overall supported and should be beneficial in future activities for both Noem as well as the Department of Homeland Security.