Mullin makes his case as a steady hand for DHS but faces Senate pushback
over his temperament
[March 19, 2026]
By REBECCA SANTANA, LISA MASCARO and MEG KINNARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — Markwayne Mullin, the White House pick for homeland
security secretary, made a case to fellow senators Wednesday that he
would be a steady hand for a department roiled by controversy under
Kristi Noem, but signaled he would follow President Donald Trump's
hard-line immigration priorities and pushed back on concerns over his
temperament for the Cabinet post.
The Oklahoma Republican faced questions from members of the Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about his vision
for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican
administration's push for mass deportations. Democrats have halted
routine funds for the Department of Homeland Security in a weekslong
standoff as they demand restraints on immigration officers after the
death of at least three American citizens at the hands of federal
agents.
Throughout his confirmation hearing, Mullin struck a soft tone on some
of the administration’s most contentious policies, and he retracted his
description of a Minneapolis man killed by federal officers as
“deranged.” But his combative style, seen in a heated exchange with the
committee chair, and loyalty to the president meant questions remained
over how he might revamp a troubled department that is central to
Trump’s deportation agenda.
“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.”
Mullin became emotional at some moments during the hearing and fought
back at others, as he spoke of his family’s relationship with Trump and
his own commitment to the president’s agenda.
The hearing was Mullin’s first opportunity since being nominated to
present his plans in public for the government's third-largest
department. Noem was fired this month following mounting criticism of
her leadership.
Mullin sheds light on his immigration views
Trump's immigration agenda and Mullin’s plan to implement it are key
issues for Democrats. Trump's policy of mass deportations is at a
crossroads, and Mullin will be under pressure to achieve Trump's goals
when the public mood has soured over aggressive immigration enforcement
operations.
On whether DHS should meet a 3,000-a-day quota for the number of
immigration arrests it makes, Mullin said none had been set for him.
He retracted comments he made about Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis man
shot by federal immigration officers and whom Mullin had called
“deranged.”
“I shouldn’t have said that and as secretary, I wouldn’t,” he said.
Mullin said officers would only use a warrant signed by a judge to
forcibly enter homes to make arrests, except in limited circumstances.
Federal officers have used administrative warrants to do so, raising
concerns that constitutional protections are being skirted.
In his opening remarks and in answers to senators’ questions, Mullin
called for the routine DHS funding to be restored.
“We have to get DHS funded," Mullin told senators. “We have to realize
that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the
American people.”
Committee chair says Mullin ‘applauds violence’
The first part of the hearing was marked by a fiery opening statement by
Republican committee chair Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Paul challenged Mullin's fitness for the role, pointing to comments
Mullin made after a funding fight, when he called Paul a “freaking
snake” and said he understood why a neighbor had tackled Paul in a lawn
care dispute. That incident happened several years ago, and Paul
suffered multiple broken ribs and later underwent surgeries he linked to
the attack.
“I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political
opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to
accept limits to the proper use of force?” Paul said.
Mullin refused to back down to Paul, in a display that Trump is likely
to expect and appreciate.
“For you to say I’m a liar, sir, that’s not accurate,” Mullin said.
Paul later said he would not vote for Mullin's confirmation.
[to top of second column]
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump's pick for
Homeland Security secretary, is sworn in before testifying during
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
hearing, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Separately, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters scrutinized past remarks he
attributed to Mullin that suggested he'd been “involved in special
security forces or combat operations overseas."
Mullin said he was involved in an official trip but he couldn't
discuss details.
“It’s classified, sir,” Mullin replied, saying he had never revealed
details about "the dates, location and mission.”
Peters said the FBI, which conducts background checks on executive
nominees, said it has no record of his trip.
Ultimately, Mullin agreed to discuss the matter after the hearing in
a private, classified setting.
Mullin, the Trump ally
Mullin is a former mixed martial arts fighter who ran a plumbing
business in Oklahoma before running for Congress. If confirmed, he
is expected to be a faithful ally for Trump's agenda.
“Whether it be protecting the homeland from bad actors, stopping
dangerous drugs from flowing into American communities, or removing
the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens, Senator Mullin will
work tirelessly to implement the President’s agenda,” White House
spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement.
Peters said Democrats were asking for “straightforward” changes at
DHS in line with rules and that police departments follow.
Peters underlined the challenges that Homeland Security is facing,
from threats from Iran to criminal hackers, and said the department
needed someone with a “steady hand." But Peters said he had
reservations about whether Mullin was ready for the job.
As the latest partial government shutdown drags on, there have been
long security lines at a growing number of U.S airports as security
screeners go into another month without pay. Republicans have
charged that Democrats are risking the nation’s security by blocking
funding to the department.
DHS endured turmoil under Noem
Under Noem, intense enforcement operations were launched in places
including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where immigrants
were rounded up in arrest sweeps and protesters clashed with federal
officers.
Activists and politicians accused DHS officers of smashing car
windows, roughing up bystanders who tried to record their activities
and detaining immigrants in squalid conditions. The shooting deaths
contributed to the growing criticism of Trump’s immigration agenda.
DHS has said that its officers are responding with force only when
necessary and it has blamed activists and politicians, who they say
are dialing up the rhetoric against federal officers.
Mullin also faced questions about the future of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is in the middle of
tumultuous changes after Trump said he wanted to overhaul the
agency, if not eliminate it.
Mullin said he would look to “restructure” FEMA and not abolish it.
Under Noem’s leadership, all contracts above $100,000 had to wait
for her approval. That led to long delays for states desperate for
reimbursements for money they had spent on things such as storm
debris removal.
Asked about that policy, Mullin said he would revoke it.
___
Associated Press writer Gabriela Aoun Angueira contributed to this
report.
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