--- title: Markwayne Mullin Confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary description: Mullin will take over DHS at a contentious time for the agency, which has been shut down since Feb. 14. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/mullin-dhs-confirmed-senate-shutdown-noem-tsa-ice/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-24T00:31:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-24T14:04:34.568Z article:section: Politics og:title: Markwayne Mullin Confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary og:description: Mullin will take over DHS at a contentious time for the agency, which has been shut down since Feb. 14. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/mullin-dhs-confirmed-senate-shutdown-noem-tsa-ice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba4500b85278859d/69c1a889a66f4e05d606e913/mullin-dhs-confirmed.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: mullin-dhs-confirmed.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Markwayne Mullin Confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary twitter:description: Mullin will take over DHS at a contentious time for the agency, which has been shut down since Feb. 14. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba4500b85278859d/69c1a889a66f4e05d606e913/mullin-dhs-confirmed.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Markwayne Mullin Confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary Amid Standoff Over Immigration Enforcement > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e19c2296-e6cc-4b40-8161-a5853beff68d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: DHS Secretary Pick Sen. Markwayne Mullin Says He Regrets Calling Alex Pretti a "Deranged Individual" [Watch (HLS stream): DHS Secretary Pick Sen. Markwayne Mullin Says He Regrets Calling Alex Pretti a "Deranged Individual"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yCtA5kAj.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2026-03-18. President Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, testified before fellow senators on Wednesday, trying to prove that he would be a level-headed leader for the department roiled by controversy under Kristi Noem. Mullin, an Oklahoma senator and former mixed martial arts fighter, is a staunch ally of Trump, and campaigned across several battleground states in 2024 as a surrogate._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Mar 24, 2026 12:31 AM UTC President Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, testified before fellow senators on Wednesday, trying to prove that he would be a level-headed leader for the department roiled by controversy under Kristi Noem. Mullin, an Oklahoma senator and former mixed martial arts fighter, is a staunch ally of Trump, and campaigned across several battleground states in 2024 as a surrogate. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Mar 24, 2026 12:31 AM UTC [Markwayne Mullin](https://time.com/7382769/markwayne-mullin-homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem/) has been confirmed by the Senate to serve as the new Homeland Security Secretary, succeeding [Kristi Noem](https://time.com/7382719/kristi-noem-removed-homeland-security-secretary-markwayne-mullin/), who President Donald Trump removed from the position earlier this month as she was facing growing backlash from Congress. Fifty-four senators voted to confirm Mullin Monday night, including Mullin himself, with 45 voting against. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the sole Republican who voted against Mullin’s confirmation. Two Democrats—Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich—broke from their party to back Mullin’s confirmation. Mullin, a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation who was serving his first term as a Senator from Oklahoma prior to being tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a loyal Republican ally to the President. He previously served as a congressman representing Oklahoma’s second congressional district. **Read more:** [Who is Markwayne Mullin, the New Homeland Security Secretary?](https://time.com/7382769/markwayne-mullin-homeland-security-secretary-kristi-noem/) He will take over DHS at a contentious time for the agency, which has been [shut down since Feb. 14](https://time.com/7378601/government-shutdown-congress-ice-dhs-democrats-polls/) because lawmakers reached an impasse on immigration enforcement. In the wake of federal officers [shooting and killing two U.S. citizens](https://time.com/7368923/minneapolis-ice-operation-protests-renee-good-alex-pretti/) in Minneapolis in January, Democrats refused to support a bill funding DHS unless the department [implemented new guardrails](https://time.com/7358586/government-shutdown-democrat-demands-ice/) on federal immigration agents. But the Trump Administration and Republican lawmakers argued that Democrats’ demands would hamper DHS’ efforts to execute the President’s immigration enforcement agenda. The killings of the two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, also sparked public outrage over the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, leading to protests across the country. During his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin vowed to continue Trump’s crackdown on immigration as Homeland Security Secretary. But he also signaled a somewhat softer approach. Among other things, he said that, if he were confirmed, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant unless we’re pursuing an individual that runs into a place of business or a house,” which would mark a break from [current policy](https://apnews.com/article/ice-arrests-warrants-minneapolis-trump-00d0ab0338e82341fd91b160758aeb2d). Mullin and Paul, the one Republican to vote against confirming the incoming Secretary, have exchanged barbs in the past, including during Mullin’s confirmation hearing. Paul said he opposed Mullin’s nomination to lead DHS last week. He [accused](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5790090-rand-paul-markwayne-mullin-dhs-secretary/) Mullin of having “anger issues,” referring to an incident during a Senate hearing in 2023, when Mullin challenged the president of America’s largest union the Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, to a cage fight. “We shouldn’t settle personal questions with violence; I think that would be a terrible example for ICE and for our Border Patrol agents,” Paul [told reporters](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5790090-rand-paul-markwayne-mullin-dhs-secretary/) last week. “We’re in the midst, I think, of a crisis where there needs to be more direction from the top, and a guy who brawls … I don’t know how in my opinion you’d be a leader of ICE.” **Read more:** [Mullin Signals a Gentler Version of Trump's Immigration Crackdown If Confirmed](https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/markwayne-mullin-gentler-version-of-trump-s-immigration-crackdown/) [Fetterman](https://time.com/7378675/government-shutdown-dhs-ice-immigration-john-fetterman/), a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, previously voted to advance Mullin’s confirmation vote to the full Senate. He signaled he would do so ahead of the committee vote, saying in a [statement](https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/fetterman-statement-on-mullin-confirmation-vote/) on Thursday that he approached Mullin’s confirmation “with an open-mind.” “In January, I called on the president to fire Noem—and he did,” Fetterman said. “We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS.” Heinrich indicated on Sunday that he would vote to approve Mullin to lead DHS. He said in a [statement](https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-statement-on-vote-to-advance-nomination-of-markwayne-mullin-for-dhs-secretary) that he considered Mullin to be “a friend,” adding that the two of them have a “very honest and constructive working relationship.” “I have also seen first-hand that Markwayne is not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views, and I look forward to having a Secretary who doesn’t take their orders from Stephen Miller,” Heinrich said. Earlier this month, Trump said that Noem would be [leaving her post](https://time.com/7382719/kristi-noem-removed-homeland-security-secretary-markwayne-mullin/) as the head of DHS and would instead take on a newly-created role in his Administration as the [“Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.”](https://time.com/7382975/kristi-noem-new-job-shield-of-americas/)Noem, who was central in Trump’s efforts to crack down on immigration during his second term, had faced mounting controversies prior to her removal. Days before Trump’s announcement that Mullin would replace her as the leader of the department, she fielded contentious questioning from lawmakers during congressional hearings. **Read more:** [What Is Kristi Noem’s New Role in the Trump Administration?](https://time.com/7382975/kristi-noem-new-job-shield-of-americas/) Congress remains locked in a standoff over DHS funding more than five weeks into the partial government shutdown. The shutdown has thrown U.S. air travel into chaos, causing a number of airports to experience significant staffing shortages among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents in recent weeks that have, at times, resulted in travelers [waiting in security lines for hours](https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/air-travel-flight-delays-dhs-shutdown-global-entry-tsa/). Because TSA agents are deemed essential workers, they are expected to continue showing up to work during a shutdown—even without pay. Some TSA officers have taken on additional jobs to pay their bills, prompting them to call out of work to do so. Since the shutdown started last month, more than 400 TSA officers have quit, according to the [White House](https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2035737118652223519). A top TSA official [said](https://time.com/article/2026/03/17/airport-close-delays-dhs-shutdown-tsa/) last week that some smaller airports might have to “quite literally shut down” if Congress doesn’t end the shutdown soon. On Sunday, the Trump Administration announced that ICE agents would be [dispatched](https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/ice-airports-homan-duffy-trump-administration/) to U.S. airports facing staffing shortages to help with airport security operations during the shutdown. The move prompted a wave of criticism and concern from Democratic lawmakers, who argued that ICE agents haven’t been appropriately trained in airport security operations. ## Transcript [00:00] After DHS officers shot and killed two American citizens. [00:04] This past January, you [00:05] joined top administrative officials [00:07] in publicly blaming and disparaging the victims. [00:12] Following the killing of Renee, [00:13] good Secretary Noam called her a domestic terrorist. [00:17] You, sir, you called Alex Pierre.d, quote, [00:20] a deranged individual that came in to cause max damage. [00:25] Could we expect those kinds of quick responses? [00:28] Uh, if you are confirmed as secretary, [00:31] would you be basically. Will you? [00:32] You did. You responded as secretary. [00:34] Noam, are we going to just expect [00:35] that same behavior all over again? [00:37] No, Senator, I have a deep amount of respect for you. [00:40] We've had our differences, but I do respect you. [00:42] Um, I think I said this [00:43] privately when we had a conversation. [00:45] Um, those words probably should have been retracted. [00:48] I shouldn't have said that. And the secretary wouldn't. [00:50] The investigation is ongoing. [00:52] And, um, there is like I said, [00:54] there's sometimes going to make a mistake [00:56] and I own it. That one. [00:57] I went out there too fast. [00:59] I was responding immediately without the facts. [01:02] That's my fault. That won't happen as secretary. [01:04] So you regret that statement? [01:06] I already said that. Yes, sir. [01:07] Would you want to apologize to the family of Alex pretty. [01:11] Well, sir, I just said I regret those statements. [01:14] Is that the same as an apology? [01:16] I haven't seen the investigation. [01:18] Well, let the investigation go through. [01:19] And if I'm proven wrong, [01:20] then I will. 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