Trump's homeland security pick Mullin faces senators' questions

Senator Markwayne Mullin, who has been tapped by US President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Homeland Security, will appear on Wednesday in front of a congressional committee.

The Republican lawmaker from Oklahoma will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at 0930 ET (1330 GMT) in Washington.

Trump announced that Mullin will replace DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who was sacked this month after criticism over her handling of immigration operations in Minnesota.

If the committee votes to proceed with his confirmation, the full Senate will vote later this month where a simple majority of 51-49 is all that is required for him to get the job.

Mullin would take charge of the agency as it strains to tackle a funding impasse which has prompted staff shortages among airport security staff and long queues of airline passengers.

The partial shutdown is over Democratic demands for reforms to the way federal agents are handling Trump's mass deportation policy so Mullin is expected to face questions about that.

The former mixed martial arts fighter known for his fiery personality is a first-time senator but served as a US representative in the lower house of Congress for 10 years. He moved to the Senate after winning a special election.

Mullin has supported Trump and his policies since arriving at the capital and has complimented DHS efforts to detain undocumented immigrants - a signature policy of the Trump administration which was a central campaign promise.

Upon being nominated on 5 March, Mullin said that he looks forward to carrying out Trump's mission alongside "the thousands of patriots who keep us safe every day."

"President Trump ran on restoring law and order, and he quickly delivered the most secure U.S. border in American history. I look forward to supporting @POTUS' mission to safeguard the American people and defend the homeland," he wrote on X.

The Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 in the wake of the 9/11 attack on the US in 2001.

The federal department consists of several agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Coast Guard (USCG), Secret Service (USSS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

DHS has faced increased criticism in recent months, particularly in the wake of two US citizens - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - being killed by federal immigration officials during protests in Minnesota.

Noem and CPB chief Greg Bovino, who announced his retirement on Monday, had described Good and Pretti as domestic terrorists immediately after they were shot.

Trump replaced Noem, who was overseeing Operation Metro Surge in the North Star State, with border tsar Tom Homan, who quickly wound down operations there.

Weeks later, Noem sat for tense congressional hearings after the operation.

Shortly after that, Trump announced he was sacking Noem and reassigning her to the newly established position of Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas - a "new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere".