Kristi Noem's right-hand man at DHS given the boot by admin officials: insider

A right-hand man to former Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem has reportedly been removed from his position at the agency.

Noem, who has been reshuffled in Donald Trump's cabinet to a newly created position, the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, had appointed the likes of Corey Lewandowski and Joseph Mazzara to her aides during her year-long stint at the department. Mazzara has since been removed from his position at the DHS, and it is believed Lewandowski may be set to follow.

The Daily Beast reported Mazzara "emptied his office" and was "walked out of the building" by employees. One insider said "Mazzara was very much in the Noem camp, and Rodney Scott can’t stand him. So perhaps Scott was able to get him booted.”

A Customs and Border Patrol source went further: “With Noem gone, Scott was able to fire him. He had the opening and he took it.” Mazarra's time at the DHS appears to be short-lived, with an internal memo dated to December 22, 2025 confirming his appointment.

Insiders suggest Mazzara played an important role not just for Noem, but for Lewandowski too. "He was Corey’s #1," one insider claimed. Another added, "He was Corey’s henchman and sought to fire anyone not loyal to Noem, Corey and Trump."

An official response from the Department of Homeland Security denied Mazzara had been removed from his post, but an unnamed source responding to this statement added, "He will be fired soon if it didn’t happen today."

Insiders sounded pleased to see the back of Mazzara, who was described as Lewandowski's "hatchet man" inside the DHS.

The source added, "He personally removed well over a dozen senior career leaders, some who had served in government since the Reagan years, and replaced them with Trump loyalists. Quite the turn of events for him to be removed from his post.

"Mazzara showed no interest in the actual work of the department. He was more concerned with ‘owning the libs,’ at the expense of the department’s mission and obligation to keep America safe."