Marin said ICE agents need a judicial warrant to arrest suspects at their homes or workplaces. He also said he regrets calling Americans killed by police “crazy.”
Markwayne Mullin clarifies ICE position during DHS confirmation hearing
Markwayne Mullin answered questions during a DHS confirmation hearing about how the agency would handle the deployment of ICE to cities.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Markwayne Mullin vows to take a number of conciliatory steps on immigration enforcement if confirmed by Homeland Security secretary, but insists the White House is not easing President Donald Trump’s crackdown.
Oklahoma Republican Kristi Noem’s nomination to replace her is an opportunity to reset immigration policy as the department is thrown into turmoil by a surge in enforcement and mass protests over the shooting deaths of two Americans.
Marin pledged to ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents obtain judicial warrants before entering homes or businesses to arrest suspects. He aims to make ICE more of a transportation service than a front-line suspect hunter. He promised to consult local authorities before opening new detention facilities. He said he regrets calling Alex Preti “crazy” before immigration authorities had completed their investigation into the shooting.
Marin’s arrival comes after the announcement of the retirement of Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol official who oversaw an increased crackdown that sparked protests in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis. The Trump administration’s border czar, Tom Homan, has taken control of a surge in enforcement in Minneapolis and slashed local staffing. Noem previously agreed to allow immigration agents to wear body cameras while on duty.
But President Trump has made immigration enforcement his top domestic priority, and despite a Wall Street Journal article that reported Trump was rethinking immigration policy, the White House said nothing would change.
“No one is changing the current administration’s immigration enforcement policies,” Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said. “Undocumented immigrants are subject to deportation, and President Trump’s top enforcement priority remains deporting criminal illegal aliens who pose a danger to American society.”
As the Senate prepares to vote on Marin’s confirmation, here’s what you need to know about his approach to immigration enforcement.
Marin says ICE agents need a judicial warrant to enter a home or business.
Mullin said ICE officers will not enter homes or businesses without a judicial warrant unless they pursue a suspect inside, a reversal of Noem’s policy.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, complained of 28 incidents in which ICE agents “entered” homes without warrants to arrest suspects, “banging on doors and terrorizing children.”
Marin said he clearly communicated his policy decisions to staff.
“We do not enter homes or businesses without a judicial warrant, unless we are pursuing an individual who has taken refuge in a business or residence,” Mullin said.
Marin regrets comments about Pretti, but not Good
Marin said she regrets calling Preeti a “psycho who came to do maximum damage” on social media shortly after she was killed by immigration officials.
“That word probably should have been retracted. I shouldn’t have said that, and I didn’t do that (as secretary),” Mullin said. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Video footage of the shooting showed Preti monitoring immigration enforcement and attempting to help a woman who was pushed to the ground by immigration officers as she was shot repeatedly. Preeti didn’t reach for the gun.
But Mullin stood by his comments, saying Goode’s shooting was “absolutely” justified. “The officer had to make a mixed decision,” he said, adding that Mr Good’s car “was driving towards him.”
“At that point, the car becomes a weapon,” he says.
The Justice Department has refused to open an investigation into the actions of the agent who shot Goode, leading to a wave of resignations at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis. State investigators say federal authorities are blocking access to evidence and impeding an investigation that could result in the use of force.
Marin aims to restore public trust in DHS
Mullin repeatedly told senators during his March 18 confirmation hearing that he wanted to “restore” confidence in the Department of Homeland Security and said he was trying to avoid controversy.
“I hope in six months I won’t be on the news every day,” he said. “I hope the Department of Homeland Security can focus on its job and avoid any controversy over taking care of our country.”
He added, “I hope people trust our agency again, and I’m going to work every day to get that back.”
Marin reassures senators that immigrants seeking legal residency can stay
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) asked Mullin about reports of spouses of military personnel and veterans being arrested by immigration officials on their way to interviews for permanent residence documents, known as green cards.
Marin said if immigrants are in the process of legally residing in the United States, “we will continue to work with them.”
Kim also said people were worried about being arrested at hospitals, schools, churches and voting places. He said he instructed his father-in-law what to do if he was detained on his return.
“It’s causing great concern,” Kim said.
Marin said only citizens should be able to vote, but immigration officers would only come near polling stations to track down specific suspects.
“If we’re at the polls, it’s because there’s a specific threat,” Mullin said.
Mullins will lead DHS after Bovino leaves Border Patrol.
Bovino, 55, whose aggressive enforcement of immigration laws has become a lightning rod for protests across the United States, confirmed to Reuters on March 16 that he plans to retire at the end of this month.
Under his leadership, masked immigration officers clashed with residents while searching for immigrants without legal permission to enter the country. There were immigration standoffs in Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities, with mayors and governors fighting him in federal court.
“The greatest honor of my life has been working alongside Border Patrol agents on the U.S. border and in the interior of the United States, in some of the most difficult conditions Border Patrol has ever faced,” Bovino told the conservative news outlet Breitbart.
Homan tries to focus on the ‘worst of the worst’
Homan served as acting ICE director during President Trump’s first term and became border czar during his second term.
Homan came to Minnesota in response to the murders of Alex Preti, an intensive care nurse, and Renee Nicole Good, a poet and mother of three. The death sparked nationwide protests and began intense scrutiny of the tactics of officials carrying out the regime’s deportation plan.
Homan argues that the administration is prioritizing the deportation of “the worst of the worst,” those who have been convicted or charged with serious crimes.
But nearly three-quarters of immigration detainees in February had no convictions, according to the Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks government records.
Homan argued that so-called sanctuary cities and states, where local officials resist cooperating with federal immigration authorities, force officers to pursue suspects in communities where other undocumented immigrants are also often arrested.
Marin aims to strengthen cooperation between ICE and local governments
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said “trust has been lost” in ICE after fatal shootings, tear gassing protesters and raids without judicial warrants.
Mr Marin said he would increase cooperation with local authorities and aim to arrest suspects in prison rather than pursuing them through the community.
“We believe there is a better approach, working with local governments,” Marin said.
“I would like to see ICE become a transportation agency and not a front line,” Mullin added. “If we can easily restore relationships with law enforcement, we will go to them and pick up criminals from prison.”
Mr Marin said local authorities would be compensated for the suspect’s incarceration.
“Partnerships are important,” Marin said. “There are viable approaches, but we need partners.”
