The U.S. Senate has confirmed Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma and former mixed martial arts fighter, as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Lawmakers voted 54-45 in favour of Mullin, who, after being sworn in, will replace Kristi Noem as leader of the federal department charged with overseeing immigration enforcement, border protection, and airport security.
Mullin, known as an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and as a fiery personality, inherits an agency facing backlash over its immigration policy, which has resulted in an expired budget. He has said his goal as secretary is to get the department off the front page of the news.
Under his predecessor, the DHS became engulfed in criticism over its nationwide crackdown on immigration.
Officers were accused of using excessive force to arrest people the department has said were undocumented, detaining them in conditions criticized as inhumane and which advocates say ignore due process protocols.
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The department has insisted that it was focused on removing those living illegally in the U.S. and on targeting dangerous criminals.
The crackdown resulted in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Both were American citizens protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in Minneapolis, a city that became the focal point of the operation.
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Before Noem was removed, the Trump administration wound down its anti-immigration efforts in Minnesota and other parts of the country and replaced U.S. Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, who had become the face of the crackdown, with border czar Tom Homan.
Mullin takes over as Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to bolster airport security amid an ongoing budget standoff in Congress and after heated testimony with the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who questioned Mullin’s character and temperament during a recent confirmation hearing.
In one notorious incident in 2023, Mullin also challenged Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters — a workers’ union — to a fight during a Senate hearing.
Funding for the department stopped on Feb. 14 after lawmakers failed to agree on a budget deal, causing long lines at U.S. airports as Transportation Security Administration agents opted not to work rather than work without pay.
The deadlock is a result of the Democrats’ demand that the Trump administration change its immigration enforcement protocols following the deaths of Good and Pretti.
So far, the president has refused to budge, and talks have reached a stalemate.
Mullin now faces the challenge of negotiating a resolution.
While he brings more than 12 years of experience in Congress, along with running a family plumbing business in Oklahoma, to the table, Mullin has yet to emerge as a leading force on immigration policy.
The former mixed martial arts fighter and college-level wrestler has run workout sessions in the members-only House gym and has built a reputation for fostering relationships with members of both parties while showing strong support for Trump’s immigration agenda.
“I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as Secretary of Homeland, I’ll be protecting everybody,” Mullin said during his confirmation hearing.
— with files from The Associated Press
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