Change is ‘long overdue’ at Homeland Security. Can Markwayne Mullin bring it?

By CNN Newsource

Published March 24, 2026 8:55 am

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN

(CNN) — Newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wanted to keep the department out of the headlines. That won’t be easy.

The Department of Homeland Security is charged with one of President Donald Trump’s key domestic priorities: cracking down on immigration. Mullin, like his predecessors, will face immense pressure to execute on the administration’s agenda and fend off its critics, while also balancing Trump’s ever-shifting demands. Mullin was sworn in as the new Homeland Security secretary in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon.

One of Mullin first moves is lining up the personnel to help him do it. He is bringing some of his Senate staff to the department; they already arrived at DHS as of Tuesday morning, according to a source familiar with the matter. Ahead of assuming the role, Mullin spoke with Trump about the people he wanted to bring on.

Troy Edgar, who previously served as deputy DHS secretary until being pulled to be ambassador to El Salvador, is expected back at the department, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Edgar’s nomination is still on the calendar for a Senate vote.

“We have no DHS personnel announcements at this time,” a White House official told CNN.

Mullin is expected to be in briefings with DHS officials throughout the day as he gets read in, according to a Homeland Security official.

“I’ve made this very clear that I don’t care what color your state is. I don’t care if you’re red or you’re blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be secretary of Homeland,” Mullin said in remarks following his swearing in.

In a memo to DHS employees Tuesday afternoon, reviewed by CNN, Mullin said he doesn’t “take this charge lightly,” adding: “It is my number one priority to get DHS re-opened so that you and your families receive the paychecks you’ve earned.”

While he sets up his team and gets up to speed on policies and contracts that have been placed on hold amid the transition, Mullin will also have to immediately grapple with the department shutdown that’s resulted in Transportation Security Agency personnel going unpaid and fueled hours-long lines at airports. At Trump’s behest and with little notice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed to several airports nationwide Monday to do line management.

On the heels of Kristi Noem’s splashy approach to the job as secretary — which yielded headlines, controversy and internal strife — DHS officials have been anxiously awaiting the type of change that they’ve described as “long overdue.” Noem, who was reassigned by Trump to serve as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, is out of the country this week for a multi-country trip in Latin America. Noem’s lightning-rod top aide, Corey Lewandowski, is expected to work with her in her Shield of the Americas position.

Trump, for his part, has expressed complete confidence in Mullin. “He’s going to be fantastic. He’ll make his own change. He’s already given me a list of people he wants to bring,” Trump told reporters, describing him as a “friend of mine.”

On Monday night, soon after Mullin was confirmed to his post on a 54-45 vote, there was some fresh hope that the DHS funding standoff could soon be resolved. Republican lawmakers emerged from a White House meeting Monday night with a plan to fund DHS — all except a small portion of the immigration enforcement budget — that still would need to be accepted by Democrats.

Still, events of the last two days — particularly Trump’s surprise call for ICE agents to help at airports — have induced whiplash at DHS. Wait times at airports Tuesday continued to ebb and flow, with ICE agents standing by to help with crowd control.

Trump’s abrupt decision to send ICE agents to airports over the weekend served as a reminder of some of the demands Mullin will have to navigate. Trump’s first term was marked with frequent leadership turnover at DHS as the president sometimes struggled to find officials who wanted immigration-related jobs and could be confirmed by the Senate.

Another key change is already underway: Mullin is in close touch with White House border czar Tom Homan, who didn’t have a relationship with Noem and barely spoke with her. Mullin and Homan have talked daily, including, on some days, multiple times.

“Markwayne Mullin is the right guy, at the right time, in the right position. Fully support him,” Homan said told Fox News this month.

Mullin, Homan added, was “looking at solutions for CBP and ICE and FEMA. He’s already working, even though he’s not in that position yet. He gets what needs to be fixed. We have frank conversations. He welcomes my judgment.”

Homan, a veteran law enforcement officer, diverged with Noem over how immigration enforcement was done. Whereas Noem and her aides opted for a more visible approach, Homan has generally leaned toward targeted enforcement instead of broad sweeps. Trump administration officials expect Noem’s departure will usher in a new, more synchronized era between DHS and the White House.

Despite change at DHS, the overall goals of Trump’s immigration agenda — as shepherded by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — are the same even if Mullin’s style and strategy are different. Mullin has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

During the transition, some policies that require the secretary’s approval are on hold, according to another Homeland Security official. Those are expected to move forward with Mullin installed.

Federal contracts have also been backlogged in part due to Noem’s controversial policy requiring that any spending request over $100,000 receive her personal signoff. Mullin told lawmakers he plans to scrap that policy.

Mullin also said that there should be some changes as to how ICE is deployed around the country, telling senators, “I would love to see ICE become more a transport than on the front line,” and pledged to require ICE officers to obtain judicial warrants before entering private property, with limited exceptions.

This story has been updated with additional details.