The new United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, has been sworn into office during a ceremony held at the White House—one day after the Senate approved his nomination to succeed Kristi Noem—following controversial operations by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of two people.
“I don’t care what color your state is. I don’t care if you are red or blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be Secretary of Homeland Security and to protect everyone equally, and that is what we will do,” he asserted during an event attended by US President Donald Trump, whom he thanked for the “trust” placed in him to lead the department.
Mullin—a former mixed martial arts fighter and Republican Senator from Oklahoma who secured a seat in the Senate in 2023—vowed to “safeguard the security of the American people and protect the homeland.” “I will fight for your family just as I fight for mine,” he added, before noting on social media that his priority is to end “partisan bickering and reopen the Department of Homeland Security” when he takes over from Noem on March 31.
It is worth noting that the department has been under a budgetary suspension since last February, following the expiration of an extension granted by Democrats who sought to implement changes regarding the actions of ICE. This shutdown entails the suspension of salaries for thousands of employees, as well as other budgetary allocations; however, ICE is able to continue operating thanks to the funding provided under the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—legislation passed in June that enacted significant tax cuts alongside increased spending on military affairs and immigration enforcement.
President Trump, for his part, praised Mullin as a “fantastic representative” and an “exceptional advocate for our cherished tribal communities.” “He is the first member of the Cherokee Nation to serve in the Cabinet,” he added, referring to the largest Native American tribe in the United States, with over 140,000 members in the state of Oklahoma.
The Senate confirmed Mullin’s appointment the previous day by a vote of 54 to 45, following the dismissal of Noem—a move prompted by the controversial operation conducted by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol in Minneapolis, which resulted in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, both 37-year-old U.S. citizens.
