Mullin wins some praise for his quieter style at DHS

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has scored positive reviews from Republican lawmakers who were less pleased with the performance of his predecessor.

Mullin has been on the job nearly two months, and while the policies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) haven’t undergone dramatic transformation during his leadership, department observers see a shift in approach.

“There is no comparison whatsoever,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said.

In former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s final hearing before Congress, Tillis excoriated Noem on everything from holding up disaster aid, to the deaths of two Minnesotans at the hands of immigration officers, to killing her dog.

“Markwayne’s making all the right choices. He’s relying on [border czar Tom] Homan. He’s stipulating that there were changes that needed to be made … I’m impressed with what he’s doing. And I’ll tell you, what I’m really impressed with is the mood of the building. There is a sea of change in the way that they’re being treated, and the respect the career staff are being given.”

Under Mullin’s leadership, the Trump administration is still carrying out aggressive enforcement. But the department had pulled away from advertised raids that drew protestors as teams moved from city to city.

“We’re not going into New York like another Minneapolis,” Mullin said earlier this month during an appearance on Fox News.

And he’s also pulled back from the accelerated training program for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, returning to the original longer training schedule amid criticism that new agents were unprepared for their assignments.

He’s also earned praise for speeding the release of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding.

Beyond policy, he’s also moved away from a few quirks specific to Noem, who had garnered frustrations on the Hill, earning a reputation as being tough to schedule for hearings and not particularly responsive to congressional letters.

While those concerns were primarily vocalized by Democrats, Noem’s March hearings showed Republicans had also grown annoyed, with several asking the former DHS secretary about delays in releasing FEMA money and other grants held up by her policy of personally signing off on any spending over $100,000.

After Mullin was confirmed, President Trump took the unusual step of nominating........

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