President Trump tapped Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security Secretary

President Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and tapped Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement, pending Senate confirmation.

Noem’s term has been filled with controversy, including some of the tactics used in the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where two American citizens were shot by federal agents. At hearings earlier this week, Noem was grilled by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The president isn’t cutting ties with Noem, though — she’s set to become the “Special Envoy” for a new security initiative he’s calling the “Shield of the Americas.”

Mullin, meanwhile, only became a senator in 2023. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he is the first tribal citizen to hold a seat in the Senate since 2005. He served in the House for a decade before becoming a senator, and before Congress, he worked in his family’s construction business. He’s also a rancher and a former MMA fighter — and a vocal defender of President Trump’s.

The agency he’s being tapped to lead remains partially shut down — the result of a standoff over changes Democrats are pushing for to the way immigration agents operate. But Mullin has defended Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement, telling CNBC recently, “we’re a nation that enforces laws.”