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Thanedar opposes Trump pick Mullin for DHS chief
Congressman Shri Thanedar cited Mullin’s past comments and described the Oklahoma senator as unsuitable for the office.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Sat, 21, Mar 2026
- 00:37 EDT
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Congressman Shri Thanedar / Wikimedia commons
Congressman Shri Thanedar recently urged all U.S. Senate members to vote against the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, arguing that his appointment would further damage the reputation of the department.
Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, is facing tough questions from his Senate peers at his confirmation hearing to become the new leader of DHS, an agency currently caught in the crossfire of a congressional budget fight.
He was nominated by President Trump after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was removed from office amid heightened calls for her impeachment, a move that was welcomed by Indian-origin Democrats, including Rep. Shri Thanedar.
In a sharp attack on Mullin and his controversial views, Thanedar said, “Markwayne Mullin is a violent, unqualified thug who does not have the temperament to serve as the Secretary of Homeland Security.”
He continued, “As the ranking member of Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability on the Committee on Homeland Security, I urge our senators to vote no on confirming Markwayne Mullin.”
ALSO READ: U.S. DHS nominee backs legal migration, signals tougher enforcement climate
Thanedar accused the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security of displaying “rampant violence from ICE and other agencies within the Department” and alleged that Mullin “enthusiastically supported” such actions and therefore should not be allowed into office.
Mullin has courted controversy on multiple occasions in the past. Many of his comments, including his description of Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis, as “deranged” and “attempting to do maximum damage,” were called into question during the Senate hearing.
Responding to questions about Pretti, the DHS secretary nominee assured the Senate that he would not make such comments if confirmed.
Listing the alleged transgressions committed by Mullin, Thanedar claimed that Mullin attempted to fight a witness during a committee hearing, condoned a violent attack against one of his Senate colleagues from his own party, told Americans, “Every now and then, you need to get punched in the face,” and cited a “violent, pro-slavery congressman who savagely beat an anti-slavery senator with a cane in the Senate chamber as an inspiration for his violent tendencies.”
Thanedar said DHS requires a secretary who will work to “bring down violence and de-escalate tensions,” adding that “putting Markwayne Mullin in as secretary will only lead to more violence and more extreme tension.”
He reiterated his demand and said, “I am urging all of my colleagues in the Senate to vote against confirming Markwayne Mullin to avoid further damaging the reputation of the Department of Homeland Security.”
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