WASHINGTON (AP) — Should Sen. Markwayne Mullin be approved as the next secretary of Homeland Security, he will walk into the department’s sprawling Washington, D.C., campus with his work cut out for him.
Immigration enforcement is at a crossroads. Disaster-hit states and their lawmakers are angry at delayed federal assistance. Frustrated travelers face long airport security lines due to a monthlong funding battle in Congress.
Mullin would take over from embattled outgoing secretary Kristi Noem, who entered office with President Donald Trump’s backing but whose social media-driven management style of the government’s third-largest department contributed to her downfall.
“We’ve got serious management problems at DHS, and we need somebody steering the ship,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., adding that he told the Oklahoma senator that a full audit of the department is needed.
Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, has earned a reputation as a combative presence in the Senate. After 13 years in Congress, he has the confidence of fellow lawmakers and is expected to follow the White House’s policy priorities. His confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday.
Mullin would oversee immigration enforcement
A top challenge for Mullin would be taking over the administration’s centerpiece policy of mass deportations, which has triggered a surge of immigrant arrests, sparked fear in communities, and raised concerns about detention and enforcement tactics.
Approval of Trump’s immigration approach is down from when he started his second term, with most Americans saying Trump has “gone too far.” The souring public mood could force Mullin to recalibrate how the agencies he would oversee implement the deportation push.
He is likely to be a faithful ally to Trump in his new role. In the Senate, he has been less focused on legislation and more engaged as a de facto spokesman for the White House — talking to the president often and amplifying his messages in the hallways of the Capitol and behind closed doors.
John Sandweg, a former acting director at ICE during the Obama administration, said Mullin will need to balance pressures from different players inside the administration over how to conduct future enforcement operations — whether to ramp up deportations through arrest sweeps or keep enforcement more targeted on people who’ve committed crimes.
“He’s going to have to reconcile ... are we about numbers or about quality?” said Sandweg. “And I think he’ll face a lot of pressure to also deliver on numbers.”
First challenge for Mullin will be the DHS funding lapse
Mullin is also walking into a battle with congressional Democrats demanding reforms at ICE, which has led to a monthlong lapse in funding for DHS.
Senate Democrats want changes to immigration enforcement before they approve more money. That includes a ban on masks worn by deportation officers, an end to roving patrols of officers looking for immigrants, and a requirement that officers use warrants signed by a judge to enter a person’s house. Republicans have held the line against those demands.
As the standoff has dragged on, thousands of Homeland Security staffers are being forced to work without pay, including airport security screeners. Some airports have started to see long security lines, raising concerns that screeners are calling out sick, taking on side jobs to make ends meet, struggling with fuel costs or leaving their jobs altogether.
In his new role, Mullin is expected to improve relationships with Congress, where Republicans treated Noem with skepticism. He is close to both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Mullin will also inherit a Federal Emergency Management Agency mired in upheaval and uncertainty over the administration’s attempts to shift disaster responsibility to states and Trump’s threats to abolish the agency.
States clamoring for improvements hope that the transition in leadership will bring the necessary reforms and clarity to FEMA’s functions and responsibilities, as criticisms over past management practices continue to surface.
