A growing number of influential conservatives are calling for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to be removed from his position after remarks he made over the weekend were interpreted as a retreat from President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
The backlash escalated Monday when reports suggested that frustration with Mullin was not limited to conservative commentators. According to Politico, opposition to the secretary has also been building inside the Trump administration.
“It takes a lot to unite this administration around a cohesive point of view,” an unnamed senior administration official reportedly said.
The official then delivered an unusually blunt assessment: “Mullin deserves credit where credit is due. Everyone agrees he sucks donkey butt.”
Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, was sworn in as secretary of homeland security in March 2026. Since then, he has faced growing pressure from conservatives who believe he is more concerned with satisfying Democratic critics and political moderates than carrying out the immigration policies Trump promised during his campaign.
The latest controversy began Saturday, when Mullin addressed immigration reform during the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City.
During his remarks, Mullin drew a distinction between illegal immigrants who are seeking employment and some form of permanent legal status and those who are simply remaining in the country illegally.
“If we’re looking to grow our economy, we need more permanent solutions on work visas, because this narrative that it steals American jobs is true in some industries—it’s not true for all industries,” Mullin said.
For many conservatives, the comments sounded less like a defense of strict immigration enforcement and more like an argument for allowing some illegal immigrants to remain in the United States.
Apparently responding to the criticism, Mullin posted a statement on X later that day in which he insisted that he still opposed amnesty.
“NO amnesty for illegal aliens. Ever,” Mullin wrote. “We are a nation of laws. If you are illegally present in the United States of America—you will be detained and deported. Period.”
The statement did little to satisfy his critics.
Former Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino criticized Mullin for drawing attention to nearly 900,000 naturalizations over a 12-month period. Bovino argued that celebrating legal immigration did not address conservative concerns about deportations or the potential political consequences for Republicans in the midterm elections.
Conservative activist Ned Ryun was even more direct.
“Can we get a new DHS Secretary please before it’s too late?” he wrote.
Radio host Todd Starnes accused Mullin of telling governors something different from what he later told conservative voters online.
“But that’s not what you told the governors today,” Starnes wrote. “Are you deporting all illegals or just the worst of the worst? If you don’t have the stomach for the job, resign.”
Journalist Megan Basham questioned how officials inside the administration could so badly misjudge the priorities of the Republican bas
Filmmaker and activist Robby Starbuck said Mullin’s remarks projected weakness and urged Trump to consider replacing him. Starbuck added that he would prefer to see White House adviser Stephen Miller leading the Department of Homeland Security.
Conservative commentator Nick Sortor also criticized Mullin, accusing him of encouraging illegal Haitian migrants and people with Temporary Protected Status to seek permanent residency in the United States.
“This guy is a joke,” Sortor concluded.
Mullin’s defenders argue that his comments were focused on legal work visas and broader immigration reform rather than amnesty. The White House has also publicly continued to support him, even as some administration insiders and conservative activists have expressed frustration with his leadership.
Still, the political problem for Mullin is becoming difficult to dismiss.
Trump’s supporters expected the Department of Homeland Security to pursue aggressive deportations and uncompromising immigration enforcement. Any suggestion that the administration might consider permanent legal status for people who entered or remained in the country illegally is likely to provoke immediate resistance.
Mullin may insist that he has not changed his position, but his critics clearly are not convinced. Unless he can demonstrate that the department is carrying out the immigration agenda Trump promised, the calls for his removal are unlikely to disappear.