Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is already “annoying” Trump administration officials and facing “growing tensions” with the White House after only a few months on the job, according to an NBC News report published Thursday.
The outlet cited a senior administration official and one senior figure at Homeland Security, who suggested Mullin’s first misstep was pausing vehicle stops by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after two fatal shootings earlier this month in Texas and Maine.
President Donald Trump notably reversed the decision publicly. The administration source told NBC News, “Every Cabinet secretary knows that they have to come to the White House for major policy decisions. The president sees, hears, reads everything.”
The administration source also told NBC News that Mullin signed off on the plan without White House approval, calling it “100%” a bad decision. Trump reacted on his Truth Social platform one day after multiple major media outlets reported on the pause.
“[W]e CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Democrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen under my watch,” he wrote.
Mullin also landed in hot water for stating last month during a CNN interview that 350,000 immigrants from Haiti and Syria could apply for legal status in the U.S. — after the Supreme Court ruled against temporary protected status for immigrants from those countries.
The senior DHS official told NBC News this was “annoying” to some in the administration.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press
Mullin reportedly ruffled further feathers by pushing for Lance Schroyer to be ICE director, as some in the administration, including border czar Tom Homan, believe the former incident commander at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol lacks sufficient experience.
“Homan and others aren’t particularly thrilled with him,” said the administration official.
Mullin became DHS head after Trump fired Kristi Noem, whose tenure was riddled with scandals that sparked backlash even from fellow Republicans. Despite the reported tumult he has caused in only four months, Mullin will apparently remain in his position for now.
“Secretary Mullin is working hard to implement the President’s immigration enforcement agenda,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News, adding: “Secretary Mullin will continue to enforce federal immigration law as effectively as possible.”