Washington, DC, March 16, 2026 — This Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing on the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to become the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Below, we present four of the key immigration questions that Senator Mullin should address at his hearing.

According to Joanna Kuebler, Chief of Programs at America’s Voice: “This administration’s mass deportation crusade has made us poorer, weaker and less safe, leading directly to the deaths of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike. The public has rejected the violence, chaos and lawlessness and is demanding answers and a dramatic change in course. The real question: will Senator Mullin bring any change to rebuild DHS? We fear not. His own record and ongoing endorsement of this administration’s violent anti-immigrant agenda raise questions and demand detailed answers at his upcoming Senate hearing. Anyone enabling the Trump/Miller agenda or refusing to enact real change and accountability is on the wrong side of the American people.” 

Four Key Immigration Questions for Senator Mullin at His Confirmation Hearing

  • Beyond messaging, what tangible changes will you make to the mass deportation agenda? As Politico notes, the administration’s major social media accounts have stopped mentioning “mass deportation” over the past month, while some of Senator Mullin’s colleagues are asserting that a new leader at DHS will turn the page on the unpopular agenda. Yet as we’ve been highlighting, the problem is mass deportation, not its messaging or who is running DHS. Senator Mullin should detail what he will do differently and the specific changes he will implement.
  • How will you rein in the culture of cruelty, lawlessness and impunity that has defined ICE and CBP in American cities? From masks and unmarked vehicles to military style weaponry to flouting due process and required warrants, the lawlessness and impunity that defines the mass deportation agenda and ICE and CBP actions must be reined in – how will Senator Mullin do so?
  • Do you plan to keep targeting Dreamers (with and without DACA) with detention and deportation and slow-walking DACA renewals? As a new Chicago Tribune article reminds us, the administration is targeting Dreamers in a number of ways – including through the excruciatingly slow renewals of DACA applicants and the targeting, detention and deportation of Dreamers – including, unlawfully, those with DACA. 
  • Will you continue the push to build massive warehouse detention centers across America? As NOTUS details in a new story, the DHS push to purchase and convert massive warehouses into large-scale detention centers is a rare point of bipartisan condemnation on immigration, drawing opposition from elected officials in both parties and in red and blue states alike. These warehouses threaten to compound the horrific conditions and rising number of deaths in detention occurring in recent months.

Read the America’s Voice Substack, “Agents of Mass Deportation: Who is DHS Secretary Nominee Markwayne Mullin?”