Senator Murray Presses Mullin on Urgent Need for ICE, Border Patrol Reforms & Admin’s Claims About Policy Changes

***WATCH: Senator Murray's full questioning***

Washington, D.C. - Today-at a Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Markwayne Mullin on the conduct of ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans' refusal to enact reforms into law, and the Trump administration's claims about changes it has already made.

In opening comments, Senator Murray said:

"Well welcome, Mr. Secretary. I think from where I sit, I think it is pretty fair to say that DHS under President Trump has been a debacle. From day one, we saw rampant abuse of power and corruption.

"From awarding millions in no-compete contracts, to companies with direct family ties to DHS officials, to blatantly politicizing disaster relief and slow walking or outright blocking funding to blue states like mine, to making this country less prepared for disasters and leaving communities in the lurch. And then you have the absolutely shameful, unacceptable, un-American conduct we have seen from some of ICE and Border Patrol members.

"After Republicans gave nearly $200 billion last summer in their Big Ugly Bill-with effectively no strings attached, President Trump and Stephen Miller built up a paramilitary force, and essentially promised it immunity, and set it loose on some of our American communities.

"We all witnessed the consequences: a family heading home from a basketball game that was teargassed. A priest in Chicago shot in the head and body with pepper balls. An American citizen dragged out of the house in the freezing cold, in his underwear. Renee Good, Alex Pretti, others murdered in broad daylight. Those actions shock the conscience-and have shocked the world, which is horrified by what's unfolded on American streets.

"So, going back, as we negotiated the FY 26 DHS funding bill, I fought very hard alongside my Democratic colleagues to secure very basic reforms to make sure nothing like that happened again. Steps like, requiring body cameras-and ensuring that the footage is retained and available, restoring basic training and hiring standards, requiring warrants, ending racial profiling, banning enforcement actions in sensitive locations, like schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. Taking off the masks and requiring visible identification.

"Those are very basic protocols the American people overwhelmingly support-and by the way, police departments follow every day. But unfortunately, after weeks of back and forth-and at times, good discussions and good progress-Republicans did ultimately walk away from the talks to enshrine those protections into law.

"And they chose to instead circumvent Democrats through reconciliation and are now trying to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the remainder of Trump's presidency-not just this year-without any oversight or accountability measures in place. This is exactly what led to the horrors that we did witness in Minneapolis and across the country.

"And I want to be very clear, Secretary Mullin, I'm watching closely to see what steps you now take as the new DHS Secretary. And I have to say-I have yet to see you take back the reins from Stephen Miller.

"Because even now-we are seeing some outrageous proposals. You plan to withdraw CBP officers from airports in cities that don't roll over for Trump-that is insane-it is not only dangerous, it would also spell economic crisis for blue and red states.

"Meanwhile, DHS is already on track to break last year's record for people dying in custody. And last week, ICE agents tear gassed a United States Senator who was simply working to peacefully mediate between ICE and protestors after federal law enforcement, we know, shoved a different Senator to the ground last year. And you continue to deport upstanding community members instead of the worst of the worst.

"Accountability is desperately needed-and I know we will all keep fighting for that."

[URGENT NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES]

Senator Murray pressed Secretary Mullin on changes the administration claims it has made to immigration enforcement tactics in the course of negotiations that occurred earlier this year over common-sense reforms to the way ICE and Border Patrol have operated.

MURRAY: So let me ask you, throughout our negotiations over the [FY]26 bill, the White House and Border Czar Tom Homan told us we didn't need to put any reforms into law, because DHS was already making changes like ending the roving patrols, restoring stronger training standards, requiring body cameras to be worn by all agents and officers.

And I know that at your confirmation hearing, you said you did not support the warrantless search and seizure policy the administration put in place and you reportedly were recently talking about legislation to require judicial warrants, restore training standards, and protect sensitive locations from raids.

But while you and Tom Homan say you've made some of those changes, the American people haven't seen the proof of that.

So, I want to ask you today, what are your current training requirements for agents?

MULLIN: Thank you for the question. I want to remind the Senator that I was part of negotiating those reforms and I think you're aware of that, so I actually know what happened during those.

MURRAY: I know you were not in the room, but I do know you were aware of them.

MULLIN: No, I was very involved in it.

MURRAY: But you were not in the room.

MULLIN: No, I was very involved in it.

MURRAY: I was in the room; you were not in the room. I know you were not in room.

MULLIN: I was very involved in it because we were talking with the House and you know-

MURRAY: It doesn't matter; I asked you a question. What are the training requirements?

MULLIN: Senator, you know that we agreed to all the stuff you said and the fact is you guys walked away because you had primary elections.

MURRAY: No, Mr. Secretary, we walked away because you would not agree to put it in writing.

MULLIN: We had agreed, we had asked for three and we had asked for nine and we agreed to nine. But you would never get to yes, so we walked away and did reconciliation because we were never going to get to yes between Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and you know that to be a fact. And you can't pull the wool over my eyes because I was part of negotiating.

MURRAY: Mr. Secretary, you can give your side, I'm telling you I was in the room and we turned-I want to ask you what are your training requirement?

MULLIN: It's interesting I was involved in that too, if you want to start talking about training, we're going to-July 1st-we'll go back to the 71, 72 hours of training. The training policy is going to change a little bit because we're going to be doing crowd control and fit today's needs, but all training is willing to change back-and-forth. When you start talking about warrants, I was very clear in my confirmation that judicial warrants are used when we are entering a residence unless we're in pursuit of a criminal or the criminal continues to evade by going from one place to the next to the next to the next and we're trying to lock the person down, but I was very clear when we started discussing that. And on the sensitive locations, it has been asked multiple times, we're not actively being at sensitive locations. We do sometimes have to pick up a felon that is around a sensitive location, but we are not actively patrolling those, and I think you know that to be true.

MURRAY: Okay and can you give this committee in writing what your current training requirements are? You said as of July 1st-if you could give that to us so we can see what those are.

MULLIN: Yes.

MURRAY: How about the updated departmental protocols for agents engaging with protestors?

MULLIN: I'm sorry?

MURRAY: You have an updated Department protocol for agents who are engaging with protestors, can you describe that?

SENATOR BRITT: And the time has expired, so if you could get to your answer quickly then I'd appreciate it.

MURRAY: Well then let me just ask you then, if you could give the Committee in writing that answer, whether or not you have ended roving patrols, and whether or not every officer and agent in the field is now wearing a body camera, in writing so we can see what your protocols are.

MULLIN: We don't have the money for all the cameras, we had it in the funding bill but since you guys decided not to vote for it, we don't have the money to put it on all of our officers. But if you remember during the funding bill, we had $20 million set up for it and its currently unfunded because Democrats are refusing to fund CBP. [NOTE: The enacted FY26 appropriations bill did include $20 million specifically set aside for body-worn cameras. See Sec. 109(a).]

MURRAY: We had $20 million in it, and I will tell you this, that that was not enough but what I'd like to know is if you'd respond to that in writing what your current policies are so that we know that they are actual policies being implemented.

MULLIN: We'll respond to you in writing.

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