‘ICE Barbie' Kristie Noem dons favorite cowboy gear as she visits Argentina to work on new visa deal
Speaking to reporters alongside Argentinian officials at the Campo De Mayo military base, Noem sat astride a horse clad in a cowboy hat and belt, plus blue jeans and a black western-style jacket.
She promised to "expedite" the easing of visa rules for citizens of the South American country, whose budget-slashing libertarian President Javier Milei is a major ally of President Donald Trump.
It is the latest in a long series of sartorial stunts for the former South Dakota governor, who at various times has dressed as a plumber, a welder, a builder, a highway cop, a Border Patrol agent, a firefighter, a coast guard officer, and an ICE agent in tactical gear.
The Old West appears to be a favorite touchstone, with Noem once asking her Instagram followers to vote on the best painting of her as a cowgirl even while Texas struggled with devastating floods.
In March, she posed in heavy make-up in front of caged prisoners at El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison, where Venezuelan immigrants sent there by the Trump administration say they were tortured, beaten, and raped.
The photo ops, and her status as the face of the Trump administration's immigration policy, have led some critics to mockingly dub Noem "ICE Barbie" or "Homeland Barbie" — with even city officials in flood-hit Texas reportedly adopting the term.
"Under President Javier Milei's leadership, Argentina is becoming an even stronger friend to the United States — more committed than ever to border security for both of our nations," Noem said in a statement on Monday.
"Argentina now has the lowest visa overstay rate in all of Latin America, and 25 percent more Argentines traveled to the U.S. in the first four months of this year compared to last year.
"That is why we are now taking steps to allow Argentina back into the Visa Waiver Program,' she said.
Monday's agreement is simply a statement of intent and actually realizing visa-free travel to the U.S. or Argentinian nationals could take years yet.
A post on Noem's Instagram and X feeds for National Cowboy Day on Saturday, showing her riding with horse-mounted border agents, attracted many supportive, even fawning responses.
Other commenters were less impressed. "Wasting taxpayers money again on a photo op?" said one Instagram user. "Any excuse to put on a costume. What a joke," posted another.
One user on X inquired about her wardrobe budget, while another branded her "all hat and no cattle".
Visa waivers allow citizens of friendly jurisdictions such as the U.K. and the European Union to visit the U.S. for leisure purposes for up to 90 days, without needing to apply for a visa first.
Argentina joined the program in 1996, but was removed in 2002 due to fears that an ongoing economic crisis would drive more Argentinians to try to work in the U.S. illegally.
The country has its own storied tradition of cowboys, known as gauchos, though they traditionally dress rather differently to their American counterparts, in patterned wool ponchos and voluminous trousers.
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