Markwayne Mullin is facing his first major test as Homeland Security secretary after three people were killed in encounters with ICE officers in less than a week.
A mass trial of alleged MS-13 gang members wraps up in El SalvadorHegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosteroneMovie Review: In Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' an ancient epic is rebornAP Entertainment WireUS stocks rise within 0.5% of their record, even as oil prices keep climbingFatou, the world's oldest gorilla living in captivity, celebrates her 69th birthday at Berlin ZooWhat injured athletes can teach us about recovery and resilienceHow this photographer's second camera caught a blast of lightning among the fireworksHumo de incendios en Canadá y Minnesota afecta a millones en el centro-norte y el noreste de EEUUStudy shows a blood test can help identify healthy people at high risk for Alzheimer's diseaseAs cyclospora illnesses surge to a record, Michigan officials eye lettuce as a possible causeCDC nominee says she won't betray science — while declining to challenge Kennedy's actionsAs gas plants rise to power AI, renewable energy allies are fighting for cleaner alternativesTai chi practitioners seek balance and well-being in fast-paced BeijingHumo de incendios en Canadá y Minnesota afecta a millones en el centro-norte y el noreste de EEUUUS airstrikes hit northern Iran as it disables ship trying to run the blockadeIran's big threats, ending clock changes, $50M dinosaurArgentina beats England 2-1, advances to finalLatin and country surge in the US as more music is being streamed than ever beforeAn empty middle seat is the latest perk United Airlines will offer on some flightsViral phenomenon in Argentina has young people identifying themselves as animalsGhana's fantasy coffins are a colorful celebration of life and legacyAt the Kaaba during Hajj, a photographer captures sense of unity and devotionThe World in PicturesLiving through sizzling temperatures in Banda, Indian town that is one of the world's hottestAn experimental Alzheimer's drug shows promise targeting a different brain protein, new study showsHow to stay safe and still enjoy produce this summer with the outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasiteYouTube joins Meta in appealing a jury verdict that faulted them for users' social media addictionHow to protect your roses from black spot diseaseNew AP-NORC poll reveals sharp divides among US Jews over Israel and GazaEmpleados demandan a Meta; arguyen que despidos por IA afectaron licencias médicas y de paternidadDepartment of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin speaks during a news conference Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in New York.
took over as Homeland Security secretary from fired Kristi Noem, he pledged to get the department responsible for carrying out the Trump administration’s But just months into Mullin’s time in office, the department is squarely in the center of controversy again afterAs he navigates the uptick in violence, he is being forced into a balancing act that has him juggling pressures from a White House eager to carry out mass deportations and his former colleagues in Congress seeking answers — all while attempting to ease tensions in American cities over the deaths.
“When he took his position, Secretary Mullin said that his goal was to get the department off the front page of the news,” Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner said on the House floor Tuesday.
Then, waving a newspaper, he said: “Well, you’re back on the goddamn front page now. ”in the wake of two deadly shootings of American protesters at the hands of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis earlier this year. As the secretary in charge of carrying out the administration’s mass deportations vision, Noem pushed an aggressive style of immigration enforcement where she was front and center, including most famously, a visit to a Salvadoran detention center.
She was quick to speak publicly on controversial events, weighing in on both Minneapolis shootings with statements accusing the killed protesters of being agitators. President Donald Trump, who made mass deportations a central promise of his second administration, ultimately soured on Noem over a $200 million ad campaign and her handling of the Minneapolis operation. Mullin promised a different approach, while still pledging to deliver on the president’s priorities.
His first trip as secretary was not to promote immigration enforcement butSince he became secretary and in the aftermath of the Minneapolis violence, the administration has also moved away from high-profile and unpopular immigration operations in American cities to a quieter approach to enforcement that has largely shifted media attention away from the crackdown. Under Mullin, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is alsoover a five-day period in late June, averaging out to about to 2,000 arrests per day.
And legal pathways to immigration have also faced new restrictions. Trump, during Mullin’s tenure, has hailed the secretary as “so incredible,” and “amazing,” lauding him for giving up his Senate seat to run DHS. For months, it appeared as though Mullin’s change in approach was taking hold. While advocates and civil rights activists accused the department of mistreating immigrants under his leadership, Mullin’s less confrontational approach seemed to keep the department out of the spotlight.
But the events of the past week have posed a new challenge for Mullin as he walks a tightrope between his softer approach and the president’s demands.
“Trying to deal with competing policy objectives is a challenge for any Cabinet secretary, but Mullin has this worse than most,” said Tom Warrick, a former counterterrorism official at Homeland Security who’s now at the Atlantic Council. “In the case of Homeland Security, the White House wants both to meet their immigration quotas at the same time that they keep public trust, and how you do that — even with the funding that Mullin has — is a really difficult challenge.
” ICE officers in Houston and Maine shot and killed individuals in their cars during immigration operations. In Florida, a man fleeing ICE officers was killed in a car crash. Mullin has not spoken publicly about the deaths while the department’s public affairs office has released only brief statements following each.
Behind the scenes, Mullin, who frequently talks about how he shares his cellphone number with members of Congress and encourages them to call him directly, has talked with lawmakers and shared information, including talking with And after the second shooting death in Maine, as criticism surged from both protesters and Mullin’s former colleagues in Congress, ICE was ordered to suspend most vehicle stops.called it a “TOTAL CAPITULATION to the left,” in a post on X. Conservative activist Mike Davis accused Mullin of heeding the advice of Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who said she’d suggested the vehicle stop pause to the secretary.
A day later, Trump appeared to contradict the guidance to ICE, saying in a social media post “we must be strong, tough and smart and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! ” Mullin then reposted Trump’s words, adding that people in the country would be “arrested and deported wherever they are. ” He later said on X that he and the president are “on the same page.
”But it showed the friction between Mullin’s attempts to maintain calm and the president’s demands that illegal immigrants, which the administration has in many instances portrayed as criminals, be arrested in large numbers.
“Secretary Mullin, if he wants to, and if he has the backing of the White House, he has the ability to get ICE under control and make them follow the law,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from Texas.
“So either he has no interest in doing that, or the White House is not backing him up, or the agents are simply out of control. ”“I think the Secretary has lived up to what he’s wanted to do to try to change the atmosphere over there,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York, who as chair of the congressional Homeland Security Committee has requested a bipartisan briefing on ICE’s use of force policies from DHS.
Santana reports on the Department of Homeland Security, immigration policy and the federal agencies that touch on immigration. She’s reported on refugee resettlement, ICE operations and employment-based immigration and is reachable on Signal at RebeccaSantana.51.
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