Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem was reportedly robbed while eating dinner in Washington, DC on Sunday evening.
CNN reported that Noem acknowledged being robbed.
Noem, who was asked about the theft at the White House Easter Egg Roll, acknowledged the incident and said the matter has not been resolved.
The Secret Service, which provides security for Noem, reviewed security camera footage at the restaurant and saw an unknown white male wearing a medical mask steal her bag and leave the restaurant, a law enforcement source said.
The thief got away with Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, DHS access badge, makeup bag, blank checks, and about $3,000 in cash.
The Secret Service has launched an investigation to trace any use of Noem’s financial instruments, the person added.
DHS told Newsweek that the reason Noem was carrying $3,000 in cash was to “treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.”
JUST IN: DHS Secretary @KristiNoem gets robbed!
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 21, 2025
A thief reportedly took Noem's bag that included $3,000 while she dined at a restaurant.
Secret Service is investigating. pic.twitter.com/1OO9zipWgm
It is unknown whether the theft was motivated by politics. But Noem has been in the headlines frequently amid debate about the Trump administration’s immigration policies. From The Independent:
She was most recently in the headlines in March after a controversial visit to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison facility, where the US has sent more than 200 Venezuelan migrants since the beginning of the second Trump administration. At the facility, Noem filmed a video message with dozens of shirtless, bald male prisoners providing a bizarre backdrop.
Noem also ruffled feathers among more senior employees at the agency shortly after coming to the job in January when she posted on social media about an ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in a manner which some officials thought could jeopardize its effectiveness, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Noem last week announced the cancelation of $2.7 million to Harvard University after it refused to comply with the White House’s demand for records on its student visa holders’ illegal activities related to pro-Hamas protests against Israel on campus. President Donald Trump indicated he might revoke the university’s tax-exempt status if it failed to comply.
As of April 18, there were 3,143 theft incidents in the District of Columbia, according to the DC Metropolitan Police Department.