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In his first days as head of the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin has stuck to a suit and tie, not the ICE-emblazoned bulletproof vest worn by his predecessor, Kristi Noem, in her debut video<\/a> when she started the job. It remains to be seen whether the more diplomatic style of Mr. Mullin<\/a>, a former Republican senator for Oklahoma, will help him achieve President Trump\u2019s hard-line immigration policy and navigate the intense backlash triggered by the department\u2019s deportation tactics. Time and again, the Homeland Security Department has struggled to explain to the American public its deportation strategy<\/a> or how it goes about its work. What is more, the Noem era, which ended with her dismissal earlier this month<\/a>, frustrated department officials who believed the agency was being used as a pawn in her political endeavors. Her handling of contracts drew criticism for benefiting well-connected allies. (Ms. Noem has said she was not involved in doling out contracts for a $200 million department advertising campaign<\/a>.) \u201cThey\u2019ve got to regroup in terms of how they approach the immigration commitments the president made,\u201d said Ken Cuccinelli, a former acting deputy head of the department during Mr. Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Mullin has already said he plans to keep the agency out of the headlines while still carrying out the president\u2019s deportation policies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMy goal in six months is that we\u2019re not in the lead story every single day,\u201d Mr. Mullin said during his confirmation hearing. \u201cMy goal is for people to understand we\u2019re out there, we\u2019re protecting them and we\u2019re working with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Balancing the public reset of the Trump administration\u2019s immigration strategy while also accomplishing the president\u2019s stated demands will be difficult. Former Trump officials, however, believe it is necessary.<\/p>\n They point to managerial and messaging problems under Ms. Noem. Case in point: At the same time that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials would publicly discuss targeting serious criminals through a sophisticated method, Americans would see images of immigrants running from agents at Home Depots<\/a> or car washes, and hear stories of citizens and legal status holders caught up in the dragnet.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Inside the agency, there is hope that Mr. Mullin will adjust course after months of intense controversy stemming from not just the actions of officers on American streets, but also from Ms. Noem\u2019s unusual publicity stunts<\/a>, documented in part by the costly advertising campaign that appears to have been one reason for her dismissal.<\/p>\n Department officials believe Mr. Mullin will allow heads of agencies like ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to have more latitude to make key decisions, according to an administration official and a senior department official.<\/p>\n That would be a dramatic shift from the Noem era, when officials in her circle, most notably Corey Lewandowski, held considerable sway.<\/a> At ICE in particular, Mr. Lewandowski was deeply involved and would press officials for more arrests and deportations. (The Homeland Security Department has previously said he was on the same page as other agency leaders.)<\/p>\n One administration official said there were issues with the chain of command during Ms. Noem\u2019s tenure, a pointed comment on the power given to Gregory Bovino<\/a>, a former midlevel border official, who ran major immigration operations in the United States and reported not to the head of Border Patrol but to Ms. Noem.<\/p>\n \u201cSecretary Mullin is perfectly suited to lead the Department of Homeland Security and work closely with President Trump to continue building on his many successes,\u201d Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. \u201cWhether it be protecting the homeland from bad actors, stopping dangerous drugs from flowing into American communities or removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens, Secretary Mullin will work tirelessly to implement the president\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mark Morgan, the former acting head of ICE during Mr. Trump\u2019s first term, said that the Homeland Security Department under Ms. Noem had gone too far with its tactics, though he is part of a group pushing for more deportations. He said he was concerned that election-year politics might get in the way of that regardless of the change in leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cRepublicans now are, in my opinion, they\u2019re scared, and they\u2019re worried about the midterms,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so now they want to adjust what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, he said, any strategy focusing only on the most serious criminals would fail to achieve the mass deportations Mr. Trump promised during his campaign and has discussed during his time in office.<\/p>\n Mr. Mullin \u201cneeds to be cleareyed that it\u2019s his responsibility to enforce the law, in its entirety, without favor, without political carve-outs or ideologic-driven carve-outs, without being influenced by special interest groups,\u201d Mr. Morgan said, adding that Mr. Mullin should carry out targeted operations against those with deportation orders, those overstaying visas and criminals. \u201cHe must apply the law to all of those who are violating it.\u201d<\/p>\n Those in favor of more progressive policies on immigration said they were not expecting much of a shift on the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cI think some things administrative will change, and it will likely improve the experience for careers and may make the department run better, but I am unclear of noncosmetic substantive improvements, especially with Miller still in charge,<\/a>\u201d said Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former senior ICE official in the Biden administration, referring to Stephen Miller, Mr. Trump\u2019s deputy chief of staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
While Ms. Noem, cameras in tow, growled about \u201cgetting the dirtbags off the streets,\u201d Mr. Mullin has worked toward a less flashy debut: briefing members of Congress on the effects of the government shutdown, attending White House meetings and doing a video talking up the people he now oversees.
\u201cI think I have the greatest employees working at D.H.S. ever \u2014 I mean that sincerely,\u201d he said in a video he posted on social media.<\/p>\n
Mr. Mullin, 48, must now also look inside an agency that critics say was badly damaged under Ms. Noem, though she has said she worked with the full backing of the White House. He has taken over a department that is in declining public repute, especially after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens<\/a> in Minneapolis in January.<\/p>\n
The problem is not just a public relations disaster: The agency is facing serious questions over whether it follows due process, is being investigated by the inspector general\u2019s office for matters including the handling of contracts and remains under pressure to deliver on more deportations as promised by Mr. Trump. It is also not fully funded because of an ongoing partial shutdown over Democrats\u2019 objections to the agency\u2019s immigration tactics. Congress is deadlocked on the issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n