STATEMENT: Sen. Schiff to Oppose Mullin Nomination for Homeland Security Secretary

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) issued the following statement announcing that he will oppose Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"For the past year, we have seen the horrors of Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Indiscriminate raids targeting families, small business owners, and students who are part of the fabric of our communities. The arrest of citizens and noncitizens alike, grabbing people off the street because of how they look, the language they speak, or where they work. Families afraid to send their children to school, afraid to worship, afraid to work. Armed federal immigration officers inciting chaos and using excessive violence, taking the innocent lives of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. All with next to no accountability.

"Despite the vast majority of Americans disapproving of this agenda and these enforcement actions, nothing appears to have changed at the department. And I have no confidence that Senator Mullin will demonstrate the independence necessary from Trump and Stephen Miller to lead the department in a necessary, different direction.

"Not only am I skeptical of Senator Mullin's willingness to rein in ICE and CBP's rampant abuses, I'm also equally concerned by his opposition to the certification of the 2020 election. His refusal to certify the electors on January 6th raises a serious question about whether he will protect our elections from threats, respect the will of the American people, stand up to the president and follow the law.

"As I have repeatedly said, the Department of Homeland Security must be rebuilt from the ground up with badly needed reforms to ICE and CBP, and I do not have confidence Senator Mullin is the person to do it.

"For those reasons, I will vote to oppose Senator Mullin's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security."

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