Senate confirms Markwayne Mullin as DHS secretary amid funding shutdown
Mullin confirmed as DHS secretary
The Senate on Monday confirmed Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The vote was 54-45.
WASHINGTON - The Senate voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary, President Donald Trump's nominee to take over the embattled department after firing Kristi Noem amid a public backlash over the administration's immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations.
Senators confirmed him on a largely party-line vote, 54-45.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, testifies during his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll C
He would take the helm of the Department of Homeland Security at a difficult time. The department's routine funding has been shut down, leading to long waits at U.S. airports during the busy spring break travel season, as Democrats demand changes in immigration enforcement operations following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during protests this year in Minneapolis.
Mullin delivers opening remarks at DHS hearing
Senator Markwayne Mullin makes his opening statement in his confirmation hearing for Secretary of Homeland Security.
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Who is Markwayne Mullin?
The backstory:
While the senator comes to the position after more than a dozen years in Congress, and with the management experience of running an expanding family plumbing business in Oklahoma, he has not been seen as a key force in immigration issues.
A former mixed martial arts fighter and collegiate wrestler who has led early-morning workout sessions in the members-only House gym, he became close with members of both parties and is often seen as a negotiator in partisan Washington.
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Dig deeper:
Mullin’s first challenge will be to restore routine funding to the department that has been blocked since mid-February when Democrats demanded that immigration officers face tighter restraints. They want immigration officers to identify themselves and not wear masks; refrain from enforcement operations around schools, churches, hospitals and other sensitive locations; wear body cameras; and obtain a judge's approval on warrants before entering people's homes or private spaces.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin sought to portray himself as a steady hand at a pivotal time for the agency — an image that was challenged by the committee chairman, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, in a heated exchange. Democrats are also skeptical, seeing him as a loyal executor of Trump’s agenda.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin picked as new DHS secretary
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he would name Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
Mullin comes into office at a time when public support for the president’s immigration agenda has fallen after a year of high-profile operations in multiple American cities. Under Noem’s leadership, officers were accused of using force to arrest immigrants, detaining them in squalid conditions and bypassing due process to rapidly deport immigrants.
RELATED: Trump fires Kristi Noem from Homeland Security post
He did walk back some of his comments during his confirmation hearing, saying he was wrong to malign protester Alex Pretti after he was shot and killed by an ICE officer and said that as secretary he would refrain from making judgments before an investigation is carried out.
He shed light on other ways he might influence policy when it comes to immigration. For example, he said that officers would be required to use a warrant signed by a judge — not the administrative warrants now used by ICE officers — to enter a house except in rare circumstances.
He acknowledged the concerns some communities have over building massive ICE detention facilities in their neighborhoods and said cutting off federal funds to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that don’t work with ICE would be a last resort.
But ultimately, it is the White House that sets the agenda when it comes to how Trump’s vision for immigration enforcement is carried out, and Mullin is expected to follow its lead. Trump faces a strong lobby within the GOP pushing him to make good on his promise to deport 1 million people a year.
Mullin will also have his hands full charting a new course at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has come under scrutiny as it delivers disaster aid to parts of the country hard-hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story is based on Senate proceedings, including Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation vote and testimony during his confirmation hearing, as well as statements and positions from lawmakers in both parties regarding immigration policy and DHS funding. This story was reported from Los Angeles.