DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin loses temper during hearing

newsJun 25, 2026241,507

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin shouted and clashed with lawmakers at a House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee oversight hearing Thursday, clutching a stress ball as members pressed him on child migration data and rising deaths in ICE custody. Rep. Rosa DeLauro repeatedly interrupted Mullin and called him "belligerent," while Chair Rep. Mark Amodei rebuked Mullin for interrupting and told him, "This is the legislative branch, and it's my hearing." Rep. Lauren Underwood asked Mullin for a policy to prevent detainee deaths; Mullin focused on funding and state prison responsibilities instead of offering a specific federal plan. Hours after the hearing, the DHS Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into the increase in detainee deaths. Mullin previously drew notice for a 2023 hearing confrontation when he challenged Teamsters president Sean O'Brien to a fight, and lawmakers said Thursday's outburst further intensified congressional scrutiny of DHS detention and immigration practices. The IG probe and continued oversight hearings could prompt document requests, subpoenas, and policy reviews of ICE medical care and detention operations.

emptywheel

@emptywheel.bsky.social

Hours after Markwayne the Plumber attacked Lauren Underwood for asking about the increase of detainee deaths, DHS IG announces an investigation into the increase Markwayne was trying to deny. www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...

As of this week there have been 20 deaths in ICE detention in 2026, according to ICE. Last year there were 33 deaths in the entire year, according to the agency. In 2024, the agency announced 11 deaths, according to the agency’s website.

Earlier Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was asked about the “historically high death rate” in ICE detention by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-IL, at a House Appropriations Committee hearing.

Mullin rejected the notion of a high death rate, saying of Underwood’s line of questioning, “Those are dangerous accusations that she’s making, because in the state of Illinois, they’re twice as high to die in a state penitentiary in Illinois, than they are in ICE detention.”

The DHS Inspector General wrote in the announcement of the new reviews that the reason for the one focused on detainee deaths is because there has been an increase in ICE detainee deaths each fiscal year since 2022.

11308h ago

ibeenhacked.bsky.social17

#thescumbagchronicles June 25, 2026 Mullin is a shit show comparing penitentiary inmates with ICE detainees. All the GOP and Stephen Miller have is a bat shit crazy fake reality. When enough people fact check them they will be history.

Margaret Forsyth11

Just want to say I'm very grateful for Lauren Underwood.

pj-evans.bsky.social5

I see that MarKwayne failed his grammar classes at an early stage.

TeddyBear3

Markwayne the dropout nepobaby daddy's business plumber.

Borders Abound2

*Mar-Kwayne Fixed it for you

Liz M2

Every time I see him I think about just say no to crack, plumber crack.

Team Algae 🦠2

His parents cooked him from birth. With the name MarkWayne, this guy was always gonna be a piece of shit. Just look at this little turd.

All In with Chris Hayes

@allinwithchris.bsky.social

WATCH: Markwayne Mullin—now serving as Trump’s DHS secretary—had to appear before Congress clutching a stress ball to apparently keep his anger in check as he clashed with Democratic members and the Republican committee chairman.

1042h ago

msjackson.blacksky.app12

Tell me again how women are too emotional for leadership.

SarcARSEtic Irish Paw Paw3

At last, someone in the administration with a ball

Rita Lopes3

Wow all of them are cuckoo starting with Trump😜

Craig R. Brittain

@craigbrittain.com

"The Secretary is belligerent." - Lauren Underwood on Markwayne Mullin

658h ago

kirklanderreturns.bsky.social5

MarkWayne doesn't know many big words and gets frustrated when he doesn't know what's going on. Soon, he'll challenge her to a fistfight.

Big T Money3

She spelled “is a little bitch” wrong.

Welcome to the party pal!3

The arrogance of Trump's administration.

Kevin☮️🌎☀️🌕🇺🇲🇺🇦🇨🇦🇲🇽🇬🇱3

BobbyJoeMarkWayne Mullin, sorry I felt he needed more names, is a trump fascist and hates people. That's their sole motivation.

MS NOW

@ms.now

LIVE: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifies at House hearing as tensions continue over the Trump administration's immigration policies WATCH HERE: www.youtube.com/live/7GrSMiU...

3412h ago

Missing The Point

@missingthept.bsky.social

Markwayne Mullin is itching to throw her into a detention center. Which is kind of the problem.

259h ago

Anne Grete (GoogeliArt) 🦋💙PD

@googeliart.bsky.social

Markwayne Mullin mocked as he struggles to control temper: 'Too emotional for this job' www.rawstory.com/markwayne-mu...

138h ago

Jennifer N. Victor

@jenvictor.bsky.social

The best part of this is where the Chair, Rep. Amodei (R, NV-2), trying to get control, chastises Secretary Mullin, "This is the legislative branch, and this is my hearing and I'm going to try to some extent to control and moderate it." ARTICLE I LIVES!

179h ago

ChrisNP87

@chrisnp87.bsky.social

It's terrifying that the head of DHS has ZERO plans to prevent deaths while in ICE custody. When asked for 1 policy, Mullin yelled, deflected to state prisons, & whined about funding instead of answering Underwood, an RN, about medical neglect. Absolute moral failure & zero accountability!

87h ago

Grandma Janet

@sweetgrandmajan.bsky.social

Markwayne Mullin should be in jail, I don't understand why he's not.

76h ago

Dean Barker

@deanbarker.bsky.social

Rosa DeLauro is a legend, a constant champion for children over her long career. Markwayne Mullin, on the other hand, will, with the rest of the infamous, need to lawyer up once power shifts and accountability finally comes.

79h ago

Dean Barker2

Forget policy, for the midterms just run a minute long highlight reel of rude, toxic, abusive, insecure, bigoted, disrespectful, petty, mendacious behavior from this administration, with the line "and we can put a stop to this" at the end. Put it in every district.

Richard Bellikoff

@bellikoff.bsky.social

Schmuckwayne Mullin has anger management issues. During a 2023 Senate hearing, he challenged Teamsters' head Sean O'Brien to a fight and Bernie Sanders told him "You're a United States Senator. Sit down." He missed his chance to be one of the UFC fighters on Trump's 80th birthday.

118h ago

Hellishchildren

@hellishchildren.bsky.social

Markwayne Mullin: 54 total (deaths) in the president's time... bsky.app/profile/jaya...

88h ago

hammancheez

@hammancheez.bsky.social

DeLAURO: Do not interrupt! MARKWAYNE MULLIN: DO YOU BITE YOUR THUMB AT ME

169h ago

Moments to Remember

@moments2remember.link

A routine Homeland Security hearing erupted into total chaos when Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Rep. Rosa DeLauro exchanged furious accusations, forcing the chairman to bang his gavel as tempers exploded. #Congress #Politics #BreakingNews

84h ago

Mike

@forbesmm.bsky.social

Imagine being so bad at your job, even *Markwayne Mullin* is like “…nah this is too much”

133h ago

1 source

rawstory.comMarkwayne Mullin mocked as he struggles to control temper: 'Too emotional for this job'

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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin loses temper during hearing

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