US senators grill fellow Senator Markwayne Mullin at his confirmation hearing to become the new leader of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – the agency which is currently partially unfunded due to a congressional budget fight
President Donald Trump picked Mullin to replace outgoing DHS head, Kristi Noem
DHS oversees US immigration enforcement forces such as ICE and emergency responses to natural disasters
Mullin, an Oklahoma senator and former MMA fighter, will need to convince his fellow lawmakers he is the right person to lead the agency in charge of Trump's deportation programme
He tells senators he regrets his previous comments that Alex Pretti, a US citizens shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis, was deranged and was attempting to do maximum damage, and that he would not make similar comments as Homeland Security secretary
This video can not be played
Rand Paul presses Mullin on past assault remarks
Edited by Caitlin Wilson and Angus Thompson, with Ana Faguy on Capitol Hill
Lisa Lambert
BBC News, Washington
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday told his fellow senators – who will vote on whether to confirm his nomination by Donald Trump – how he would lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), if they choose to hire him. He explained the ways he would plan to continue the operations of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and where he would make changes, especially around issues of immigration enforcement.
Here's what we learned:
We are ending our live coverage of this hearing. You can read more about the story here: Five takeaways from Markwayne Mullin's Homeland Security confirmation hearing
Markwayne Mullin has been the US senator for Oklahoma since 2023, and before that was in the US House of Representatives for 10 years.
Mullin, 48, is a former mixed martial arts fighter and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, a federally recognised Native American tribe.
He has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies including Trump's mass deportation agenda. Speaking shortly after Trump announced his nomination for the position, Mullin told reporters "my focus is to keep the homeland secure".
He has also defended federal immigration agents including in the aftermath of the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse in Minneapolis, by border patrol agents.
One of Mullin's most talked-about moments in the Senate came early into his tenure when he challenged a union leader to a fight in the middle of a hearing following a social media spat between the pair.
Over the past two decades, Mullin, father to six children, worked alongside his wife to grow his family plumbing business, according to his website.
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Washington
Donald Trump announced he was replacing Kristi Noem on 5 March, ending her stint as the head of the Department of Homeland Security after little more than a year.
In his announcement, he did not say why he was letting Noem go but on Truth Social thanked her for "spectacular results (especially on the Border!)”
Her removal came as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – the agency responsible for carrying out Trump's deportation agenda – came under increasing scrutiny and criticism over the actions of its agents.
After ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota during immigration protests, Noem defended the agents while seeking to cast the victims as "domestic terrorists".
Since their deaths, public polling for how Trump has handled his immigration enforcement has plummeted.
Democrats in Congress also blasted Noem for spending $220m of taxpayer money on an advertising blitz starring herself, and nearly $200m on two luxury jets for her official travel.
She defended the spending during a congressional hearing, saying Trump approved it – but the president told Reuters he was not aware of the expensive campaign. "I never knew anything about it," he said.
Trump said he planned to move Noem to a new job as special envoy for a new US security initiative in the Western hemisphere called the Shield of the Americas.
We heard a lot about Mullin's priorities today, including a few concrete policy changes he plans for the DHS.
Earlier, when questioned by Democratic Senator Andy Kim, Mullin did admit that he would reverse one policy of his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
The policy mandates Noem directly review and approve any grants or funding of over $100,000.
Kim described it as a "disastrous" policy that slowed down funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other parts of the department. He asked Mullin if he was willing to reverse that policy, and Mullin replied, "absolutely".
"That's called micromanaging… I'm not a micromanager."
With that, Senator Rand Paul gavels the hearing to a close.
A vote on Mullin's confirmation is scheduled for Thursday.
We'll bring you more info and analysis soon.
Mullin says if immigration agents are present at polling places, "it's about a specific threat"
Democratic Senator Andy Kim is the last to ask questions as the hearing approaches its end.
He asks Mullin about where immigration agents should operate. Kim gives the example of agents arresting people at a hospital.
Mullin says he will "always support my law enforcement doing their job" if they are pursuing a felon, but acknowledges that for everyday enforcement activities there is a "better approach".
He adds that if immigration agents are present at polling places, "it's about a specific threat" not for regular immigration enforcement, because only American citizens can vote.
But Kim pushes back, saying the intensity of immigration operations is creating a chilling effect even for American citizens, some of whom worry they will be targeted.
Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal says Iranians seeking asylum in the US have been deported, and brings up the case of a married couple he says are Christian converts sentenced in absentia by the Islamic Republic.
Blumenthal says they were stopped by ICE when they arrived in the US seeking asylum. The wife, he says, was removed from the country, and is now in Turkey, while the husband remains in the US to face deportation proceedings. He asks Mullin to commit to stop deporting "such people".
Mullin says he doesn't know the specifics of the case. "I don't want to deport anyone who is here… legally and most definitely not individuals that have done everything possible to be contributors to society," he says.
When pressed about deporting Iranian dissidents back to Iran generally, Mullin then says that the enemies of the US want "to infiltrate us and use our rules and our generosity against us".
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Throughout today's hearing, we've heard multiple senators on both sides of the aisle speak about the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, discusses several issues that he says need to be addressed within DHS but cannot be, because of the shutdown.
Hawley mentions missing children, emergency management agency needs, and Transport Security Administration (TSA) backlogs. Each time he asks Mullin whether it is a good time to shut down the department, Mullin says 'no' over and over.
Multiple Republican senators say this shutdown is about politics and dislike of ICE. Mullin says there are lots of people who are working without pay.
Michigan Senator Gary Peters pushes back, saying Democrats have introduced several bills to fund the TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and cyber-security agency.
He says the border protection agency and ICE are not in there because negotiations on how they should act are ongoing.
Hawley jokes about the near-fight that broke out between Mullin and a congressional witness in 2023
Republican Senator Josh Hawley starts off his questioning by greeting Mullin and cracking a joke about the near-fight that broke out between Mullin and a congressional witness in 2023.
Teamsters Union President Sean O'Brien, who is seated behind Mullin today, nearly came to blows with then-Senator Mullin after Mullin challenged him to a fight.
The two are now friends, Mullin says.
"I want the record to reflect that my money was always on O'Brien," Hawley says. "I just want that noted."
If you are just joining us, we’re bringing you updates today from the Senate confirmation hearing of Markwayne Mullin, the nominee for Homeland Security secretary.
He was chosen by President Donald Trump for this key government role – but as per US law, he must undergo questioning and scrutiny by senators before they vote for his confirmation.
It is part of the “advice and consent” role that the Senate plays under the US constitution, which gives the Senate the authority to review – and either approve or reject – the president’s picks.
At the hearings, the nominees are grilled by a group of senators from both sides of the political aisle about their experience and readiness for the role, as well as their views and how they would carry out their responsibilities.
Once these hearings are finished, the Senate committee will vote on whether to recommend the nominees to the full Senate. If passed, the nomination moves to the full Senate for debate and a vote, where Senators can confirm or reject the nominee.
A simple majority of 51 votes is usually required. Republicans currently hold the majority of the Senate, but some members of the party, like Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, may not vote for Mullin to move ahead. Still, Democrat John Fetterman has said that Mullin has his yes vote.
Arizona Democrat Rubin Gallego in his questioning notes that Markwayne Mullin would be only the second Native American in history to be a cabinet member, if confirmed by the Senate.
For those who didn't know – Mullin is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, and according to his website, he is the first tribal citizen to serve in the Senate in nearly two decades.
The first Native American cabinet member was Deb Haaland, who served as Secretary of the Interior under Joe Biden.
Mullin says he respects tribal sovereignty, and he will work with nations to secure the border in a way that respects their land. Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Slotkin and Mullin are now sparring over DHS's role in federal elections.
The Michigan senator asks Mullin if Americans can expect federal law enforcement officers to be at polling sites during the 2026 election, as Trump has previously suggested.
Mullin says that they will not be there in 2026 unless there is a "specific threat".
Slotkin appears frustrated with that response and notes that Mullin did not vote to certify the election results during the 2020 presidential election.
Slotkin says if federal law enforcement, under the potential control of Mullin if he's approved, appear at polling locations, "we've lost the plot".Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
We're seeing a stark divide between Republicans and Democrats over DHS and its work in the second Trump administration.
Republicans, including Florida Senator Moody, characterise immigration as a crisis and have praised ICE’s recent work as commendable.
Democrats, by contrast, describe DHS as an agency that is losing public trust, with operations they view as deeply problematic.
Several senators have suggested that Mullin’s appearance today reflects broader concerns about confidence in Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership.
The impacts of the partial government shutdown, which has hit DHS particularly hard, are evident in today's debate over Mullin's nomination. Those impacts are becoming increasingly severe, fuelling frustration among both lawmakers and the public.
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, says "the trust is gone" from DHS and ICE – and that the agency needs major reforms.
Mullin responds saying he wants ICE to be working more closely with jails to arrest undocumented immigrants.
"I would love to see ICE become a transport more than the front line,” he says, adding that there doesn't need to be a change to laws to achieve that
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat who often supports Trump administration policies, appears to back Mullin for the DHS role.
Fetterman says the US needs to have a secure border and needs to round up and deport criminals, adding he's trying to find a way forward on that.
Fetterman goes on to talk about how, despite being a Democrat, he wants DHS reopened.
Florida Republican Rick Scott asks Mullin about "sanctuary cities" – municipalities that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities.
Mullin's response appears to suggest that he wants to work with the cities and leaders of sanctuary cities, who he says also love their cities. He said he would try to get in touch with sheriffs and police chiefs to see what they have concerns with.
Mostly Democrat-run cities, they have become a focus during Trump mass deportation campaign.
Mullin says he finds it "really hard to believe" that law enforcement in these communities don't want to do their job. He describes it as a "misunderstanding".
However, if officials refuse to enforce laws, then it would be hard to justify sending them taxpayer dollars, Mullin says. Cutting funding would be a last resort, he adds.
Mullin has now been asked twice about consulting local communities about opening planned detention centres for immigrants.
These detention facilities are operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which falls under DHS.
Mullin says it's important to talk to the communities and communicate with them about the facilities.
The Oklahoma senator even suggests he will call the mayor and personally visit a town, which Senator Kim references, where a facility is being planned.
Continuing to respond to Senator Kim's questions, Mullin pledges he will find someone to run Fema who is qualified, but that lawmakers need to give that potential nominee a chance.
"We're already looking at some in the case we do get confirmed," he says, urging lawmakers to "give them a fair shake".
New Jersey's Andy Kim, a Democrat, is asking about Fema funding now.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) is among the agencies that fall under DHS's purview and an agency Trump has planned to downsize.
Kim asks Mullin if he plans to strip funding from Fema if he's confirmed. Mullin says the agency needs to be reformed.
The Oklahoma senator describes US agencies, including Fema, as "bloated".
Since Trump announced his plans to shrink the agency, Democrats have said that relief money has been moving out slowly.
Kim notes that more than 1,000 Fema grants were delayed because the current Secretary of DHS, Noem, required prior approval for grant money to go out the door.
Mullin says he won't "micromanage" the agency if he's confirmed.
Mullin is now asked about security preparations for the Fifa World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in June.
The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than four weeks as the deadlock continues over its funding.
Mullin says the DHS is "behind" on preparations for the World Cup, adding that department is behind in other areas as well.
It will take four months to get ready for the World Cup, he says.
Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.