Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin was chosen by U.S. President Donald Trump to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to replace Kristi Noem, whom the president dismissed on Thursday.
The agency is one of the most relevant within the government, as it is in charge of executing Trump’s hard-line immigration policy, amid strong opposition from civil organizations and local governments, as well as a wave of lawsuits accusing it of “unconstitutional” practices and human rights violations. Here is a profile of who Markwayne Mullin is.
Who is Markwayne Mullin?
🚨 BREAKING – SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN ON HIS REACTION TO HIS DHS SECRETARY NOMINATION
“It’s humbling. Because it happened quick, I had to call my dad, and it’s just pretty humbling when you start thinking about it, a little kid from west Oklahoma getting to serve in the… pic.twitter.com/nEDgEcWd6X
– Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 5, 2026
Mullin, a senator since 2023, is a strong supporter of Trump and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
In the Senate, he has maintained close ties with the White House and has projected himself as a political bridge between both chambers of Congress and the Executive.
Speaking to reporters, the congressman said the president’s call today took him by surprise, but he expects to receive the green light from the Senate to be confirmed to the post and that he is willing to work “for Americans.”
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a member of the Cherokee Nation, before devoting himself fully to politics, he ran a family plumbing business, which he later expanded into other sectors, including restaurants and real estate.
A married father of six, Mullin made the leap to national politics in 2013, when he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he remained for a decade before making the jump to the Senate.
During the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters, Mullin claimed to have been the first member of the House of Representatives to join the Capitol Police in responding to the attack.
According to his own account, he helped officers erect barricades to prevent protesters from accessing the lower house of the Chamber of Deputies.
That same year he was involved in another controversy when he attempted to travel to Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops ordered by the then president, Joe Biden, with the aim of “rescuing” U.S. citizens who had been trapped in the country.
Mullin claimed in an interview with Fox News that he had been invited to accompany members of U.S. special forces, but his attempt was blocked by the Pentagon and U.S. diplomats in Tajikistan.
Outside of politics, Mullin is also known for his love of mixed martial arts and wrestling.
He is inducted into Oklahoma’s National Wrestling Hall of Fame and has recounted episodes of physical confrontations, such as one that occurred during a Republican rally where, he told Politico, he knocked down a man who was verbally harassing Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.
When he was a member of the House of Representatives, the congressional ethics committee investigated him for continuing to participate in family businesses and receiving outside compensation in excess of the $26,000 limit for legislators.
A staunch Trump ally, Mullin backed attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, a stance that cemented his profile within the wing most loyal to the former president and now places him at the helm of one of the most influential agencies in U.S. immigration and homeland security policy.
With information from EFE
