Trump ally bringing his immigration policies to DHS

Senator Markwayne Mullin does not sit on any committees with direct authority over immigration or the Department of Homeland Security. But his record on the issues he handles at the high-profile agency signals he will take a hard-line approach to his new role at the top of the department.

In recent months, Mullin, the Oklahoma Republican whom President Donald Trump tapped last week to lead DHS, has waded into the controversial waters of the White House’s immigration policies. While Trump announced that he would choose Mullin, he also said that Kristi Noem would leave office, becoming the first cabinet secretary to leave the president’s second term.

He called Alex Pretti, the critical care nurse who was killed by federal immigration officials earlier this year.unstable individual.” HE co-sponsored legislation Following the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, penalties will be increased for people who resist or attack law enforcement officers with vehicles. And expressed skepticism about birthright citizenshipA constitutional right that Trump has I tried to finish.

“I think it’s not ridiculous at all,” said Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center. Heritage Foundationhe said in an interview. “This will be about the mission for him. It won’t be about himself.”

Nomination hearings for Mullin are expected to begin next Wednesday. If confirmed by her Senate colleagues, she would replace Noem, who had a controversial tenure at DHS, which includes ICE, Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among other sub-agency agencies.

Unless there is progress in negotiations in the coming weeks, Mullin will also ascend to the top of an institution amid a government shutdown. DHS funding ended Feb. 14, and Democrats have repeatedly voted against bills to restore funding, citing concerns about the agency’s immigration enforcement practices.

Given Mullin’s support for tough immigration policies and her close ties to Trump, Democrats don’t expect a major advance on their agenda with Noem’s removal.

“He has given no indication that he is planning the kind of reforms that the American people are demanding,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I hope that he will rethink some of his positions as he goes through the confirmation process. But I have no realistic basis for hope.”

Mullin has not yet drawn up detailed plans for his time at the department and will first need to go through a several-week confirmation process with his Senate colleagues.

“We want the Department of Homeland Security to work for the American people, and that will be our focus,” Mullin told reporters after his nomination was announced last week. “We’re open to new ideas and, as I said, we’re doing things that will get the job done that we need to do.”

Mullin, a former MMA fighter, farmer and owner of his own plumbing business, came to Congress in 2013. anti-establishment wave and branding himself “not a politician” in campaign ads. He initially promised to serve only three terms, but went back on that promise and served 10 years in the House before running in 2022 to serve out the remainder of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s term.

Friendly and well-liked at Mullin Hill; He is often seen (and heard) bouncing a plastic ball around the halls of Congress. Mullin, the only senator without a bachelor’s degree, chairs the Legislative Appropriations subcommittee and sits on the Armed Services, Indian Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.

Mullin did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

He has been a valued spokesperson for the Trump administration on cable news in recent years and has at times been a combative presence in the Senate. At a 2023 hearing, Mullin objected to a union leader testifying before the committee. physical fight.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Before intervening, Mullin told Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, “Get your ass off then.”

At a time of intense scrutiny, Mullin was selected to take over DHS. Public approval of Trump’s statement Immigration policies collapsed These figures were recently revealed after the murders of Pretti and Good. slightly recovered. Noem’s leadership during these events, as well as her use of taxpayer funds for private jets and an expensive ad campaign, have raised questions from both sides of the aisle.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing two days before his impeachment, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., blasted Noem and called her leadership at DHS “disaster.”

Although Democrats and critics of Trump’s border policy have generally called for Noem’s removal, many do not expect any meaningful change in Mullin’s leadership.

Frankie Miranda, president and CEO Spanish FederationMullin, a nonprofit advocacy group that has called for Noem’s impeachment, said he would likely be a “yes man.”

“He would be very accepting of anything that President Trump or the White House has to say about immigration,” Miranda said in an interview.

Tillis, who harshly criticized Trump advisor Stephen Miller, Appearing on CNN He called Mullin “one of the most independent people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with” and suggested the Oklahoma native tell Trump’s aide to “stay in his lane and let him run the agency.”

Regarding the deportations, Tillis said he believes Mullin “recognizes that quality is more important than quantity.” “We want to go after the most dangerous people, gang members, drug traffickers, murderers and rapists.”

One letter to trump to support Mullin on Monday. GOP Main Street CaucusA group of pragmatic House Republicans similarly said DHS should focus immigration enforcement efforts on the “worst offenders.”

“Senator Mullin has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to border security,” the letter, signed by 49 members of the group, states. “His familiarity with the legislative process and long-standing support for pro-America policies make him well-suited to lead DHS at this critical moment. We are confident he will provide the focus and discipline needed to advance our shared priorities.”

Heritage’s Ries, on the other hand, said focusing solely on the “worst of the worst” under Noem’s leadership is insufficient. He said Mullin hopes DHS will help speed up mass deportation efforts to remove more undocumented immigrants from the county.

And Senator James Lankford, send to x He noted that it should be done on Tuesday FEMA reformIt’s a company struggling with budget constraints, declining headcount and a long disaster recovery backlog under Noem.

Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said Mullin “will be a great Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.”

“As we have the most secure border in years, now is the time to build on that progress and continue strengthening the security of the American people,” Lankford wrote in the post, which included a photo of two Oklahomans laughing.