WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin steps off stage after speaking during an event for National Police Week at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters on May 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. National Police Week celebrates law enforcement officers and honors those who have fallen in the line of duty. (Credit: by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Since he swapped a Senate desk for the top job at the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin has run the agency the way he ran his old office: by picking up the phone. A Thursday investigation from Axios traces a string of DHS reversals — a nationwide halt on ICE vehicle stops, a stalled border project in Texas, a dropped threat to airport customs staffing — back to personal appeals from lawmakers Mullin once sat beside on Capitol Hill.
From backbench colleague to Cabinet chief
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