Noem, a two-term governor and former US congresswoman, was chosen by the president-elect to lead the department responsible for key immigration and border-related actions that will be central to his plans for mass deportations and tightened access at the border.

Noem's role as Homeland Security secretary is expected to be more limited in scope than her predecessors’, sources familiar with the Trump transition tell NBC News.

Trump supporters love her. But the South Dakota governor will likely be asked about family separation at the border - and the dog she says she shot.