Mullin set to take over a closed and chaotic Homeland Security

Senators are often generous with colleagues across the aisle who are picked for the Cabinet — but Democrats aren’t ready to reopen the Department of Homeland Security just because Markwayne Mullin is about to take over.

Negotiations with the White House over immigration enforcement changes are still going nowhere, Democratic senators told Semafor. That means they’re digging in against reopening DHS, which has been shut down for more than three weeks now. President Donald Trump’s move to oust Kristi Noem from the department and replace her with Mullin, a longtime Oklahoma lawmaker, simply hasn’t moved the needle.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said “practically anybody would be” better than Noem. But her dismissal doesn’t make him ready yet to reopen the department.

“No, because we don’t know what Senator Mullin’s position is. Besides, all we need is for them to adopt the Code of Conduct of pretty much any major American city,” King, a centrist, told Semafor. “It shouldn’t be controversial.”

It’s a time of chaos for DHS as Mullin ascends to one of the most politically divisive jobs in Trump’s Cabinet in the wake of harsh immigration enforcement tactics that resulted in the Minnesota shooting deaths of two US citizens. The department’s 24-day closure has forced TSA workers to show up without pay as airport security lines grow longer.

Noem lost her job because of Minnesota, a pricey DHS ad campaign, and her feuds with the heads of Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — not because of the shutdown — according to a person familiar with the DHS negotiation.

This person added, however, that “Noem’s removal has made shutdown negotiations significantly more productive and much smoother,” perhaps a sign of momentum in the fruitless standoff.

Republicans contended that Mullin is already working to reassure Democrats: “I think he already has. We know him, and I think he has good relationships, which count for a lot, and hopefully open lines of communication,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Democrats may know Mullin, and they definitely wanted Noem gone, but they also have no interest in backing off their demands for big changes to immigration enforcement. Their requests include a prohibition on masked officers, changes to officers’ uniforms, and universal body cameras.

“The policy changes matter. If the policy changes aren’t there, then any time the personnel changes, basically you just go back to it. Or you could just be overridden by a goon like Stephen Miller,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., told Semafor, referring to the White House deputy chief of staff.

A White House official said those comments “are misinformed” and that Miller’s role is coordinating across agencies to pursue the president’s agenda: “DHS, like all agencies, has always and will continue to make all operational and day-to-day decisions.”

In fact, some Republicans who criticized Noem advised Democrats to see Mullin as more of an ally — and even a counterweight to Miller’s influence on the White House.

“Some of the things that were led by a Noem administration that the Democrats and quite honestly, many of us have objected to, can be resolved under new management,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who called for Noem’s resignation.

“I’ve seen Markwayne Mullin go toe to toe with people. Literally, go toe to toe with people. So I think if he feels strongly enough about it, he’ll let Mr. Miller know how he feels,” Murkowski added.

The normally loquacious Mullin declined to comment for this story on Tuesday: “I’m supposed to refer all your questions to the White House, man. I’m sorry. You know I normally answer them.”