The Republican senator from Oklahoma, , was confirmed this morning to lead the United States Department of Homeland Security to replace the outgoing secretary, , who was dismissed after directing the controversial immigration policy of the President’s Administration, .
With a vote of 54 votes in favor and 45 against, Mullin received parliamentary approval for a new Republican figure to assume this key position within Trump’s cabinet.
Mullin ends a 13-year career in Congress, where he was known as a key negotiator between both chambers to approve Trump’s tax plan in 2025. In addition, he has raised expectations of calmer or pragmatic leadership on immigration issues ahead of his confirmation in the Senate. The president chose the Republican senator from Oklahoma to replace Noem at the beginning of the month and now his appointment is official, with all Republicans voting in favor, as well as the support of Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
“My goal in six months is for us to not be the top story every day. My goal is for people to understand that we are out there, that we protect them and that we work with them,” Mullin said last week when interviewed by the Senate.
“My goal in six months is for us to not be the main news every day. My goal is for people to understand that we are out there, that we protect them and that we work with them”
The new secretary arrives at the Department in the midst of a crisis caused by a partial closure, which began on February 14, after divisions between Republicans and Democrats to approve a budget in the absence of agreements regarding changes in .
The closure led to the absence of transport staff at the country’s main airports and has caused huge lines at checkpoints and delays of up to two hours on hundreds of flights.
Noem led a tough immigration policy that included major deployments of federal agents in Minneapolis as part of a series of interventions that generated controversy after two US citizens died during operations in January.
Former athlete, businessman… and immigration hardliner
Mullin, the new head of Security, is a first-term senator who has held that position since 2023, but also a former martial arts athlete and businessman, who is a strong supporter of Trump’s strict immigration policy.
An enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin is the first tribal citizen to serve in the US Senate in nearly two decades.
Shortly after Trump announced his intention to have Mullin serve as secretary of Homeland Security, Mullin said his focus would be on “keeping the homeland safe.” “There is a lot of work we can do to make the Department of Homeland Security work for the American people,” he said. “The Department of Homeland Security has very broad jurisdiction, and I think there’s a lot of work we need to do and I’m excited about that.”
His previous public statements have shown that he is closely aligned with Trump’s agenda, as recalled by the . Following a Supreme Court decision last year that was intertwined with Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, Mullin said babies born in the U.S. to undocumented parents should also be removed from the country, framing that position as a desire to keep children with their parents. “Why wouldn’t you send a child to his parents?” he asked. “I mean, why would you want to separate them?”
He accused some immigrants who come to the US and have children of being part of an “industry” that seeks to manipulate the system. “There is a whole industry that was formed to bring people here in their last month of pregnancy to have a child here, and they come here on a vacation visa, and they have a child so that their child can be a US citizen,” he emphasized.
In an interview with last month, Mullin said everyone should carry proof of citizenship in case they are stopped and questioned by law enforcement: “There’s nothing to hide if you’re here legally,” he said.
Mullin defended the fatal shootings in Minneapolis at the hands of federal immigration agents earlier this year.
Shortly after Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Mullin said the agent had “no choice” but to “take action” against Good, who was driving a vehicle he said should be viewed as a deadly weapon.
Mullin wrestled in college and briefly fought as a professional athlete in mixed martial arts. He has brought his fighting spirit to the Capitol, his team says. During his time in the House, Mullin was famous for his intense MMA-style workouts that he led for other members of Congress.
Mullin was serving in the House during the January 6, 2021, and helped officers block doors to the House floor. He later said he told the rioters he would physically deal with them if they broke through.
Years later, as Trump weighed whether to pardon rioters, Mullin urged Trump to “look at the facts before you do anything” and said that anyone who attacked police “should pay for it, without a doubt.”
Trump pardoned them anyway. After those pardons, Mullin said on CNN that there was “no doubt” that the assault on the Capitol was a “riot” and a “horrible day.” But he added: “Nevertheless, the American people have decided to move forward” by electing Trump even though he talked in his campaign about pardoning rioters.
During a Senate hearing in 2023, Mullin challenged a witness, Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien, to a fight. The two had a history of tense exchanges.
He later told CNN that returning to physical violence could help “heal” people he described as “keyboard warriors” who “go out and talk all the time, and then never have to face the consequences.”
