NEWPORT –– U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem paid a surprise visit to Newport late last week, meeting with the family of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was killed in a recent shootout and addressing concerns about border security resources.
Noem arrived at Northeast Kingdom International Airport in Coventry on Thursday afternoon in a U.S. Coast Guard plane. A nine-vehicle motorcade escorted her to a Border Patrol station in Newport, where, according to posts on her official X account, she spoke with the family of fallen Agent David Maland, as well as officers from the agency’s Swanton Sector.
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Maland was killed Jan. 20 during a traffic stop on Interstate 91 in Coventry, in a shootout that also left one other person dead. Authorities have said suspects in the case have ties to people of interest in separate killings in California and Pennsylvania.
In her social media posts, Noem said she was “honored” to meet Maland’s family and praised local Border Patrol agents for their work. She also cited concerns about inadequate winter equipment, claiming some agents did not have snow tires despite below-freezing temperatures during her visit.
“It’s a no-brainer to make sure our law enforcement has vehicles with basic equipment for winter conditions,” she wrote. “Under President Trump, our border patrol agents will have snow tires & ALL the resources they need to do their jobs.”
Before her stop in Newport, Noem was seen departing the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line.
Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, was sworn in as homeland security secretary on January 25. She was appointed by President Donald Trump.
