Immigration

ANALYSIS: Where Does Markwayne Mullin Stand On Immigration Enforcement?

(Official U.S. Senate photo by Ryan Donnell)

Sen. Markwayne Mullin is stepping in to direct America’s national security at a tumultuous time for the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed he is giving Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem the boot, capping off mounting controversy for the beleaguered secretary that reached a fever pitch when immigration agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis and ended after she was subject to two days of bipartisan grilling in Congress. Mullin, the president revealed, would be taking her place by the end of the month.

While never a central figure on major immigration legislation, the Oklahoma Republican has amassed a hawkish record on border security during his time on Capitol Hill. Republicans and pro-enforcement activists have mostly hailed the president’s decision.

A number of Democrat senators have praised the upcoming DHS chief, with Vermont Sen. Peter Welch calling him “competent and honest” and Pennsylvania Sen. Jon Fetterman already declaring he will vote in favor of his nomination. The burgeoning bipartisan support could prove monumental at a time when opposition against immigration enforcement is at record highs, particularly among Democrats.

“He’s been a reliable vote and not infrequent co-sponsor for bills that strengthen our enforcement system, both at the border and in the interior of the United States,” Jeremy Beck, co-president of NumbersUSA, a Washington, D.C.,-based group that advocates for stricter immigration policies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

A spokesperson for Mullin did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

‘Change Is Long Overdue’

Beck praised Mullin’s support of H.R. 2 during the last legislative session, a bill he argues would’ve stemmed illegal immigration when former President Joe Biden was overseeing an unprecedented border crisis.

“Our hope is that he continues to understand that Congress has a role to play here and beyond that, to continue to be diligent, to protect the enforcement agencies and the men and women who are in there,” the NumbersUSA chief continued. “And at the same time, re-establish some of the credibility with the public that’s taken a hit in recent months.”

Administration insiders aren’t complaining about Noem’s exit, either.

“The Department needed a leader who executed the president’s agenda, not their own,” a senior administration official told the DCNF, speaking under the condition of anonymity in order to talk freely about internal matters. “This leadership change is long overdue and brings real relief to a hell of a lot of people at DHS.”

“She [Noem] had it coming — and she blew every opportunity to correct course,” the official continued. “It wasn’t a question of if. It was only a matter of when.”

First elected to Congress in 2012, Mullin represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District for a decade before winning a special election in 2022 to replace the late GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe.

While serving as a congressman during the first Trump administration, Mullin openly supported the president’s use of the military to bolster border security and his effort to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Republican quickly became an ardent critic of Biden’s immigration agenda.

“Joe Biden’s decision to end [Title 42]is reckless and unforgivable,” Mullin stated on X in April 2022, referring to a COVID-era policy introduced under Trump to cut down border activity. “Eliminating what little security measures we had in place without a plan will put American lives in jeopardy. Once Title 42 expires, Joe Biden will have even more blood on his hands.”

During the current legislative session, the Oklahoma senator voted to boost interior and border enforcement resources and voted to reduce amnesty entitlements, supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill and the Laken Riley Act. The Immigration Accountability Project, another group that advocates for tighter border enforcement, highlighted his recent cosponsorship of the SAVE America Act, ICE Protection Act and the SAVE Act.

Mullin’s enforcement record on Capitol Hill isn’t without some blemishes, with the NumbersUSA official scorecard faulting the lawmaker for not co-sponsoring legislation that would reduce chain migration, require employers to use E-Verify, or limit the importation of foreign workers. Other immigration hardliners are adopting a wait and see mentality and declined to comment.

The Oklahoma lawmaker defended the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good in early January, arguing that the Minneapolis agitator gave the agent no other option after she drove into him.
“At the same time, we don’t know what she has in that vehicle,” Mullin told News Nation after the incident. “We don’t know if she has weapons. We don’t know what the situation is, but she clearly pulled in front of the ICE agents to block their path.” The ICE agent involved ultimately suffered internal bleeding from being hit by Good’s vehicle.
Other border hawk groups embraced Mullin’s nomination, with the Federation for American Immigration Reform issuing a congratulations and the newly-formed Mass Deportation Coalition encouraging him to take a look at their soon-to-be released plan to remove one million illegal immigrants from the country.

‘Restoring Law And Order’

The president’s decision to nominate Mullin follows an incredibly turbulent two months for Noem.

The outgoing secretary’s problems began in earnest during Operation Metro Surge, a joint ICE and Border Patrol operation in Minneapolis where scuffles with anti-law enforcement agitators led to the deaths of Good and Alex Pretti in January. The killing of two Americans at the hands of immigration agents led to incredible public backlash and gave Democrats an opening to demand reforms for ICE agents, leaving key DHS agencies without pay as funding negotiations continue to stall.

Noem spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, where she faced tough questioning from both Democrats and Republicans. The DHS chief was not only asked about the handling of the Minneapolis operation, but was also grilled on an alleged affair between her and top advisor Corey Lewandowski, who is expected to exit DHS along with her.

What appeared to be the nail in the coffin for Noem was her claim to Congress that Trump personally approved a DHS advertisement campaign that cost $220 million in taxpayer funds. Trump publicly stated he did not approve of the ad buy and was reportedly enraged at Noem’s claim.

Lousiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy — who was notably among the Republican lawmakers who grilled Noem — later told reporters that Trump was “mad as a murder hornet” after Noem’s testimony.

While announcing the end of her tenure atop DHS, Trump added that Noem would be shifted to Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a coalition of Latin American countries working together on policy initiatives to help secure the Western Hemisphere, according to the administration.

A member of the Cherokee Nation and a former mixed martial arts fighter before entering politics, Mullin is expected to begin leading DHS on March 31.

“President Trump ran on restoring law and order, and he quickly delivered the most secure U.S. border in American history,” Mullin said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to supporting [Trump’s] mission to safeguard the American people and defend the homeland.”