Noem-Homan rift surfaces as Trump questions DHS leadership, NY Magazine reports

A New York Magazine report published Monday portrays a growing rift among Donald Trump's top immigration enforcement officials. The article, which cites anonymous sources, says Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pressed border czar Tom Homan to stay off television as policy messaging intensified and questions swirled about whether enforcement efforts were being prioritized in public broadcasting. The piece notes that Trump, reportedly annoyed by the rift between Noem and her de facto chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski, summoned the two to the Oval Office to address his concerns. An official described Trump as 'particularly mad at Corey' and said he 'can't get along with anybody.' The magazine notes that the two left the meeting still in their jobs, and that the administration aimed to maintain public-facing messaging while navigating internal tensions.

A DHS spokesman dismissed the piece as gossip, calling it 'preteen rage-scrolling' and 'libelous' for relying on anonymous sources. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS communications official quoted in the Daily Mail, said there is 'no truth' to the claim that Noem sought to impose a communications blackout on Homan. The NY Mag feature itself asserted Noem was upset with Homan for appearing on television more frequently than she did and had tried to curtail his public visibility—but DHS officials pushed back on that framing, saying senior officials in the Homeland Security lane coordinate closely with the White House and do not micromanage one another.

Homan's position has been described as operating out of the White House, rather than as a direct subordinate of DHS, a delineation that has fed questions about hierarchy. Noem, as DHS secretary, runs agencies including ICE and CBP and is expected to be the Cabinet figure for policy direction, not a direct supervisor of Homan. The NY Mag piece quotes a White House spokesperson as saying the president's team, including Border Czar Homan and Secretary Noem, are 'in lockstep' and implementing the administration's policy agenda, including border-security gains and deportations. The article notes that the border czar role was formalized by Trump after roots in the prior administration, and that Homan has been the more frequently deployed public face on immigration issues since the start of Trump’s second term.

Context on the timeline: Homan has appeared on television at a higher rate than Noem since the start of Trump's second term on January 20, 2025. The White House press environment helps explain why Homan is seen on TV more often, as he works out of the White House with a ready media presence. A conservative tally based on a C-SPAN catalog shows Homan with at least 38 televised interviews or segments through the present, averaging about six per month, across outlets including Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS and ABC. Noem's count sits at roughly 14 interviews in the same period, about three per month. The magazine notes that those appearances reflect public-facing components of policy, while the two officials insist their approach is part of a coordinated strategy rather than a competitive media sprint.

The report also recounts a tense Oval Office moment in which Trump reportedly asked Homan whether he should give an interview to the media. The border czar replied, 'No, sir, we can work this out,' according to anonymous sources cited by the magazine. White House and DHS officials have pushed back on the piece's broader framing, noting the interconnected nature of homeland-security policy and the multi-agency process involved in border enforcement. A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, said, 'The President's entire team – including Border Czar Tom Homan and Secretary Noem – are all in lockstep. They are implementing the President's policy agenda, and the tremendous results securing the border and deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves.' The spokesperson also asserted that the administration's messaging reflects a collective effort rather than a single voice.

Beyond the personalities involved, the NY Mag article highlights how disputes over who speaks for immigration policy can influence public perception and political messaging. DHS officials quoted in the piece stress that Noem and Homan operate within a broader policy framework coordinated with the White House and other agencies, and they emphasize that internal disagreements are not uncommon in a high-stakes issue like border security. The administration has repeatedly defended its enforcement results, while critics have argued that public messaging should be more consistent across the executive branch. Whether the reported tensions affect policy decisions or simply shape the administration's public narrative remains a matter for observers and stakeholders to monitor as events unfold.