WASHINGTON — Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin was confirmed this Monday to lead the Department of National security of the United States, to replace the outgoing secretary, Kristi Noem, who was dismissed after directing the controversial immigration policy of the Administration of President Donald Trump. Trump.
With a vote of 54 votes in favor and 45 against, Mullin received parliamentary approval for a new Republican figure to assume this key position within Trump’s cabinet.
Mullin ends a 13-year career in Congress, where he was known as a key negotiator between both chambers to pass Trump’s 2025 tax plan.
In addition, it has generated expectations of calmer or pragmatic leadership on immigration issues ahead of confirmation in the Senate.
Arrives in the middle of a crisis
The president chose the Republican senator from Oklahoma to replace Noem at the beginning of the month and now his appointment is official, with all Republicans voting in favor, as well as the support of Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.
“My goal in six months is for us to not be the top story every day. My goal is for people to understand that we are out there, that we protect them and that we work with them,” Mullin said last week when interviewed by the Senate.
The new secretary arrives at the Department in the midst of a crisis caused by a partial closure, which began on February 14, after divisions between Republicans and Democrats to approve a budget in the absence of agreements regarding changes in control and limits for agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).
The closure led to the absence of transport staff at the country’s main airports and has caused huge lines at checkpoints and delays of up to two hours on hundreds of flights.
Noem led a tough immigration policy that included major deployments of federal agents in Minneapolis as part of a series of interventions that generated controversy after two US citizens died during operations in January after trying to attack immigration agents amid protests.
