The US Senate has voted to approve Senator Markwayne Mullin as the country’s new head of the Department of Homeland Security.
The 54-45 vote was the final step in a rapid approval process. Once sworn in, Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter with a fiery personality, will oversee the nation’s immigration enforcement, border protection and airport security.
President Donald Trump nominated Mullin this month after removing former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from the position.
The department remains embattled. A partial government shutdown stemming from immigration enforcement blunders has deprived much of its services of funding, though DHS remains central to Trump’s immigration promises.
Mullin became a first-time senator after winning a special election, but previously had served as a US representative in the lower house of Congress for 10 years.
A staunch Trump supporter, Mullin has been complimentary of the administration’s signature promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants.
In a relatively quick confirmation process, Mullin was nominated by the president 5 March, then questioned during hearings before both the House and Senate committees.
“President Trump ran on restoring law and order, and he quickly delivered the most secure U.S. border in American history. I look forward to supporting @POTUS’ mission to safeguard the American people and defend the homeland,” he wrote on X in response to the nomination.
Mullin will succeed Kristi Noem, who is being removed by Trump as homeland security secretary after months of controversy and bipartisan criticism. She was in the job for just over a year.
During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Mullin promised a “better approach” on immigration enforcement and, despite recent criticism of the Homeland Security department, pledged that he would be “protecting everybody” as leader.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who leads the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, was the only Republican to vote against Mullin’s confirmation on Monday.
During the hearing, Paul asked Mullin if someone who applauds political violence is the right person to lead the department. He offered Mullin the chance to apologise for reportedly previously saying he understood why a neighbour attacked Paul, which Mullin ignored.
The Oklahoma senator was pressed by Democrats during the hearing on comments he has made about Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old man who was shot and killed in January by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis.
Mullin had previously said Pretti was deranged and was attempting to do maximum damage when he approached federal agents. During the hearing, Mullin said he regretted his comments but would not apologise to Pretti’s family until the investigation into the incident is done.
He noted that he would not make similar comments as Homeland Security secretary.
“I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of homeland I’ll be protecting everybody,” Mullin said. “My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day.”
His confirmation comes amid the department’s funding impasse, which the Trump administration has blamed on Democrats, who declined to pass funding without immigration reforms.
Speaking of the shutdown, Mullin said, “We have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people.”
The senator was also grilled about what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would look like under his tenure.
Mullin said he has made it “very clear” to Homeland Security staff that judicial warrants will be used to enter properties unless agents are actively pursuing someone inside. (BBC News)
