The United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Markwayne Mullin as new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is under a partial closure while seeking to implement President Donald Trump’s immigration offensive.
The vote of the senators was 54 in favor and 45 against for the 48-year-old Republican, a former wrestler and martial arts practitioner who previously represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate.
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Mullin replaces Kristi Noem as head of DHS after she was fired earlier this month, in part for her handling of the recent crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Minnesota.during which federal agents killed two American citizens.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin said one of his goals is to give new direction to DHS and keep out of the spotlight to immigration agents (ICE).
“I want to protect the country”he added. “I want to bring peace of mind. I want to restore trust in the agency.”
Mullin also expressed his willingness to require injunctions for immigration operations, a possible change from current policy and a key demand of Democrats in ongoing funding negotiations.
DHS funding has been suspended since February 14, as Democratic lawmakers seek to implement reforms in immigration enforcement.
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