Trump Names New Homeland Security Chief

Markwayne Mullin has served as the junior U.S. senator from Oklahoma since 2023, after a decade in the House of Representatives. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin is the first Native American to serve in the Senate since 2005. Before entering politics, he ran his family's plumbing business and competed as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Mullin is considered a staunch ally of Donald Trump and is expected to align closely with the president's immigration agenda. While in the Senate, he has served on the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees. His political positions include opposing abortion in all circumstances and supporting the claim that the 2020 election was stolen. The outgoing Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, held the position from January 2025 to March 2026. Prior to her cabinet role, she was the first female governor of South Dakota and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. As DHS Secretary, Noem was the public face of the administration's immigration crackdown, at times appearing at ICE raids in protective gear. Noem's new role as Special Envoy relates to a security framework that originated with an agreement between El Salvador and Costa Rica in December 2025. The "Shield of the Americas" initiative was designed to create a joint front against transnational crime by sharing strategic information and coordinating security operations. The Trump administration is hosting a “Shield of the Americas Summit” in Miami on March 7, 2026, with select Latin American leaders. The summit is part of a broader "Enlist and Expand" strategy to partner with ideologically aligned countries to advance U.S. interests and limit Chinese engagement in the region.