Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refuses to commit to following court orders

WASHINGTON— Under intense questioning at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refused to comply with federal court orders.

Mullin also acknowledged that his predecessor as secretary, Kristi Noem, incorrectly described two shootings involving immigration officers in Minneapolis.

His refusal to comply with court orders came during a testy exchange with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Murphy quoted Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, a Republican appointee in Minnesota, who said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated nearly 100 court orders and “probably violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have in their entire existence.”

When Murphy asked Mullin to pledge to comply with court orders in the future, Mullin said his agency would not violate the law.

“But that doesn’t seem to be the same as promising to comply with the court order,” Murphy said.

“I could probably answer that if we didn’t think the courts had become politicized. But we see over and over again that courts use their benches not just for the rule of law, but for political views as well,” Mullin said.

“So you get to choose which court orders you follow?” Murphy asked:

Mullin told Murphy not to mouth the words.

Addressing his fellow senators, Murphy said, “If you’re a Democrat or Republican on this committee, you must be really, really scared.”

Murphy then returned to the question of court decisions, saying that ignoring judges erodes democracy.

“I agree that politics is involved in judicial decisions,” he said. “I don’t think that gives an excuse for Democratic or Republican administrations to ignore these court decisions. If an administration willfully ignores a court decision because they disagree with the decision or its motivation, I think that’s essentially the end of our republic.”

Mullin faced off with the Senate Appropriations Committee amid scrutiny of the agency’s budget and immigration enforcement ahead of the World Cup. President Trump tapped Mullin to take over leadership of the embattled Department of Homeland Security after Noem was fired in March.

Mullin’s appearance comes as the Senate is considering legislation that would fund immigration enforcement agencies through the end of Trump’s term. Republicans plan to use a legislative maneuver that would eliminate the need for support from Democrats, who have been pushing for reforms since the killing of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

During a previous appearance before senators, Mullin introduced himself diplomatically and said he would work to build trust in the agency and keep it out of the news. But recently he has put the travel industry on edge by threatening to remove customs and border protection officials from airports in so-called holy cities; This limits cooperation with immigration enforcement officials.

Millions of people are preparing to visit the United States for the World Cup, which starts on June 11 and will include host cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Mullin said he will attend his first football game in Los Angeles on June 12.

Murphy, the committee’s top Democrat, noted Mullin’s promise to keep Homeland Security out of the news. He said the agency has repeatedly broken the law, wasted billions of taxpayer dollars and lined the pockets of private prison companies.

“Nothing has really gotten better,” he said. “In fact, you spent the first two months of your term threatening to suspend international arrivals to states represented by Democrats. Not only would this throw our entire air travel system into chaos, it is also completely illegal.”

Mullin disputed Murphy’s characterization of the agency’s behavior, calling it political theater. Murphy sat with his head propped on his hand, looking directly at his former Senate colleague.

Mullin said threats against immigration officials had increased significantly and that Murphy’s “reckless tone was hurting people.”

Protests broke out outside an immigration detention facility in New Jersey last month after detainees launched a hunger and labor strike over what they called inhumane conditions such as rotten food and medical neglect. Tensions escalated over several days as protesters clashed with law enforcement and counter-protesters.

Monday in DallasMullin said he would pull customs officers from airports across the country to assist with security in Newark if necessary.

Addressing officer training, Mullin said Tuesday that the service will return to 72 days of training next month for new recruits, including crowd control training. Last year, then-ICE Director Todd Lyons told Congress that the agency had reduced the number of training days to 42.

He also said the agency does not “actively patrol” sensitive locations such as schools and that the agency has stopped relying on administrative warrants to break into a residence, seeking judicial authorization in most cases before doing so.

Asked about body-worn cameras by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mullin said the agency does not have enough money to provide enough body cameras for every immigration officer. Homeland Security received an unprecedented $170 billion last year under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s sweeping tax bill.

Mullin said the agency was demoralized by the historic 76-day shutdown of ICE and CBP following a congressional impasse over funding.

“Some people couldn’t keep it up,” he said. “We lost a tremendous amount of workforce, about 8%.”

During the meeting with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mullin acknowledged that Noem unfairly and inaccurately described two shootings involving immigration officers in Minneapolis.

An ICE agent was recently arrested in the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan man whom Noem called an attempted murderer.

“Isn’t that an untrue statement?” Van Hollen said.

“Based on the information we were given, yes,” Mullin replied.

Van Hollen then brought up Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by CBP agents. Noem called him a domestic terrorist.

“Do you agree that the facts do not support this statement?” Van Hollen said.

“The investigation will say that’s probably not true,” Mullin replied.

Mullin was scheduled to appear before the House on Wednesday.