Expecting to take control of at least one of the chambers of Congress, the Democratic leadership plans to target Department of Homeland Security head Markwayne Mullin to create havoc for the White House, according to new reporting.
According to a report from Politico, a top priority for Democrats if they gain more power in Congress in November is forcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown "back into the headlines." Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, was brought in to lead the department in part because the White House saw him as someone who could play better with Congress than his predecessor, fired Kristi Noem, the outlet reported.
A House Democratic aide told Politico that committees plan to examine how DHS under Mullin has failed to deploy body cameras to many immigration agents, allowed dismal conditions at immigration facilities and failed to cooperate with the department’s inspector general. “He owns that,” the aide said. The aide was granted anonymity to speak freely about preparations.
Other Democrats plan to question Mullin over the Oct. 12 raid on the Washington home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Politico reported.
“We will investigate the administration weaponizing DHS against Americans, its out-of-control immigration policies, and its blatantly corrupt self-dealing. The American people expect nothing less, and we will deliver,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who is poised to chair the House Homeland Security Committee in the next Congress.
At a Monday press conference in Long Beach, California, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said investigations into “abuses of ICE and DHS” will rank high among the panel’s priorities, alongside probes of the Trump family’s business dealings and Jeffrey Epstein, according to Politico.
Even if Democrats can only issue subpoenas and produce reports, Politico reported, that could be enough to push DHS back into the headlines, undercutting a goal of Mullin’s of keeping unpopular immigration enforcement operations "out of public view." That “would likely worsen the political pains the White House is experiencing on immigration,” Politico wrote. Democrats also plan to call lower-level and former officials to testify, the outlet said.
Politico noted that voters in both parties have soured on the crackdown after a series of controversies, including the deaths of several American citizens following encounters with immigration officers.
Politico also warned that multiple committees pursuing immigration probes could produce a “morass” of similar investigations if House Democratic leaders fail to coordinate. It said Democrats are expected to retake the House, and winning the Senate would let them slow confirmations of nominees and secure more resources for investigations.