Update (Oct. 23, 2026): This story first ran in May 2026, after Mullin’s first two months. We rewrote it as a running explainer with his main moves through late October, including the voter-roll fight and the new border numbers.
Quick answer: Markwayne Mullin has led the Department of Homeland Security since March 24, 2026. He has kept mass deportations going, threatened sanctuary cities, pushed states to check voter rolls against a federal database, and reported the lowest border numbers in agency history. He has also kept a lower public profile than his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Mullin at DHS: timeline of key moves
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 5 | President Trump fires DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and nominates Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma |
| Late March | Senate confirms Mullin 54-45; he is sworn in March 24 during a partial shutdown that hit DHS |
| April | Mullin reverses Noem’s rule that she personally review contracts and grants over $100,000 |
| May | Mullin threatens to pull customs officers from airports in sanctuary cities; travel groups push back |
| May 25 | CNN reports roving immigration patrols in Democratic-run cities have scaled back |
| July 17 | NBC News reports Mullin demanded states run voter rolls through a DHS database or risk federal grants |
| September | Mullin says ICE will not “patrol” polling places |
| Oct. 9 | CNBC reports ICE will not pause New York operations after an agent-involved shooting in the Bronx |
| Oct. 16 | DHS reports 98,708 southwest border apprehensions for fiscal 2026 |
| Week of Oct. 19 | A federal judge orders DHS to pause voter-eligibility investigations, Al Jazeera reports |
Who is Markwayne Mullin?
Mullin is a Republican from Oklahoma. He served in the U.S. House from 2013 to 2023, representing the state’s 2nd District. He then served in the U.S. Senate from 2023 until 2026.
He is the ninth secretary of Homeland Security. The department runs ICE, Customs and Border Protection, the TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service.
That means his decisions touch travel, disasters and immigration all at once.
How he got the job
Trump fired Noem on March 5, 2026, after reports of alleged misuse of government funds. He named Mullin the same day.
The Senate Homeland Security committee advanced the nomination 8-7. The full Senate confirmed him 54-45. He was sworn in on March 24.
He took over in a tough spot. A partial government shutdown tied to fights over immigration enforcement had cut funding to much of DHS.
Deportations: same goal, different style
Mullin has not slowed the push for mass deportations. In an Oct. 16 DHS release about removal flights from Arizona, he said Americans “voted for mass deportations.”
What changed was the style. At his confirmation hearing, he said officers should not enter homes without a judicial warrant. He also said DHS would lean more on agreements with local jails and less on large street sweeps.
CNN reported in late May that roving patrols in Democratic-led cities had scaled back under Mullin.
Enforcement still drew heavy criticism. Al Jazeera reported at least 60 deaths in ICE custody since January 2025. It also reported immigration agents had been involved in at least 25 shootings during Trump’s second term.
Sanctuary cities and the airport threat
Sanctuary cities limit how much local police help federal immigration agents. Mullin has made them a top target.
In May, he said DHS was considering pulling Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in sanctuary cities. Without CBP officers, airports can’t process international arrivals.
The U.S. Travel Association warned that the idea would have “devastating consequences” for the travel industry. Airlines for America raised similar concerns. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said limiting travel based on political views was a bad idea, PBS reported.
As of late October, no airport had lost CBP staffing over the threat. Courts blocked a similar funding push against sanctuary cities during Trump’s first term.
Also read: Election Day 2026: how to check your voter registration.
The voter-roll fight
This became Mullin’s biggest fight of the summer and fall.
On July 17, NBC News reported that Mullin demanded states run their voter rolls through a federal DHS database. States that refused could lose federal grants, he said.
He said DHS had “preliminarily” found more than 250,000 noncitizens on voter lists in at least four states: California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. He did not say how many had actually voted.
Election experts pushed back. NBC reported that the DHS system often flags newly naturalized citizens by mistake. A federal judge had already blocked one use of the database, ruling that it broke rules on sharing Social Security records.
In October, Al Jazeera reported that a federal judge ordered DHS to pause Homeland Security Investigations probes into voter eligibility. The judge cited a “high likelihood of error” in how agents flagged people.
In September, Mullin said ICE would not patrol polling places. He said agents would only be there for a specific threat or to serve a warrant.
What this means for voters
This is a made-up example. Say a woman in Nevada became a citizen in 2024 and registered to vote. Under the kind of database check experts warn about, an older record could flag her as a noncitizen. If that happens, she would get a notice from her county election office and need to show proof of citizenship.
The simple step: check your registration on your state’s election website before Nov. 3, 2026. Fix any problem early.
Border numbers
On Oct. 16, DHS announced preliminary fiscal 2026 figures. The fiscal year ran from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026.
| Measure (FY2026, preliminary) | DHS figure |
|---|---|
| Southwest border apprehensions | 98,708 |
| Nationwide encounters | 379,243 |
| Border Patrol releases | Zero, DHS says |
DHS called the nationwide total the lowest in agency history. These are the department’s own preliminary numbers. Final data can change.
FEMA and disasters
FEMA is part of DHS. Under Noem, a rule required her to personally review large contracts and grants. Critics said that slowed disaster aid.
Mullin dropped that rule in April. In an Oct. 11 interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” he said FEMA had pre-positioned supplies ahead of storms and that governors told him they were “in good shape.”
A lower profile
CNN described Mullin as keeping a lower public profile than Noem, who was a frequent presence on TV and at staged events.
Some analysts see that as a strategy to let results do the talking. Others say it makes it harder for the public to track what DHS is doing. Either way, the department’s actions have stayed in the news even when he hasn’t.
Why it matters if you’re not an immigrant
DHS decisions reach far beyond immigration. Here is where you might feel them.
- Air travel: TSA lines and customs staffing at big airports are DHS jobs. The airport threat would hit international travelers first.
- Disasters: FEMA aid after hurricanes, floods and wildfires runs through DHS. Faster contract approval can mean faster help.
- Voting: Voter-roll checks could lead to notices for some eligible voters, especially new citizens.
- Local policing: Fights with sanctuary cities can affect federal grants that local governments rely on.
So even if immigration isn’t your main issue, DHS policy can still show up in your trip, your ballot or your town’s budget.
Who decides what
| Who | Role |
|---|---|
| DHS Secretary (Mullin) | Sets enforcement priorities for ICE, CBP, TSA and FEMA |
| The White House | Sets overall immigration policy and signs executive orders |
| Congress | Funds DHS and writes immigration law |
| Federal courts | Can block policies, as with the voter-database use |
| States and cities | Decide how much local police cooperate; run elections |
Key dates to watch
- Nov. 3, 2026: Midterm elections. Watch for any ICE presence near polling sites.
- Court rulings: More decisions on the voter-database checks and investigations.
- Airport threat: Any move to pull CBP officers from sanctuary-city airports.
- Monthly CBP data: New border numbers come out each month.
Frequently asked questions
When did Markwayne Mullin become DHS secretary?
He was sworn in on March 24, 2026, after the Senate confirmed him 54-45. He replaced Kristi Noem, whom President Trump fired on March 5.
Is DHS still carrying out mass deportations?
Yes. Mullin has said mass deportations remain the goal. The style shifted toward jail agreements and away from large street sweeps.
Can DHS take airports away from sanctuary cities?
Mullin has threatened to pull customs officers from those airports. As of late October 2026, it had not happened. Travel groups strongly oppose it, and a court fight would be likely.
Will ICE be at polling places?
Mullin said in September that ICE would not patrol polling places. He said agents could be present only for a specific threat or to serve a warrant.
How can I make sure my voter registration is safe?
Check your status on your state’s election website or at vote.gov. If you get a notice, respond quickly with proof of citizenship.
Bottom line
Mullin’s DHS has kept the same hard line on immigration with a quieter style. The biggest open questions are the voter-roll checks before the Nov. 3 midterms and whether the airport threat ever turns into action. We will update this page as courts and DHS act.
Last reviewed: Oct. 23, 2026
Sources: DHS – Senate confirms Mullin; DHS – FY2026 border figures; NBC News, July 17, 2026; CNN, May 25, 2026; PBS NewsHour; CNBC, Oct. 9, 2026; CBS News “Face the Nation,” Oct. 11, 2026; Al Jazeera, Oct. 23, 2026.
