Kristi Noem loses office pass (and $3,000 cash) to handbag thief

Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, had her handbag stolen on Sunday, losing her office access badge, passport and driver’s licence.

Noem, 53, who was appointed to President Trump’s cabinet after he returned to office in January, was eating at a restaurant in Washington on Sunday evening when the theft occurred. She has Secret Service protection and the agency is said to be reviewing security camera video of the incident.

It is not clear how the thief, reported by CNN to be a white man wearing a medical mask, was able to get close enough to Noem to steal her bag. No arrests have been made.

As well as her driver’s licence, passport and office pass, Noem lost about $3,000 in cash, a cheque book and medication. “Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren,” the homeland security department said. “She was using the cash withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities and Easter gifts.”

Noem, the former governor of South Dakota who is thought to have put herself out of contention to be Trump’s election running-mate last year by writing in her memoirs about killing the family dog, has been at the forefront of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal migrants.

• Kristi Noem: This is why I shot my dog

Last month she visited a prison in El Salvador, where hundreds of Venezuelans have been deported from the US. She appeared at the prison wearing what was reported to be a gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch that is said to be worth about $50,000.

On Saturday, the US Supreme Court ruled that the administration must pause the deportation of a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Civil liberties groups had sued to stop the removal of the men, saying they had not been able to contest their cases in court.

• Trump takes aim at ‘weak and ineffective’ judges over migrants

The act gives the president power to detain and deport natives or citizens of “enemy” nations without usual processes. It was previously used only three times, all during war. The White House called challenges to using the law for mass deportations “meritless litigation”.

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