Washington — Washington (AFP) – Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen He is scheduled to appear before the Senate on Tuesday to answer questions about the agency’s budget, at a time of intense scrutiny over how the Trump administration has carried out immigration enforcement and World Cup preparations.
Mullen’s appearance comes on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Weigh the legislation That would fund immigration enforcement agencies until the end of President Donald Trump’s term in a maneuver that would bypass the need to support Democrats, who have called for restrictions before funding the agencies is approved.
But an attempt to fund those two agencies long-term has stalled due to separate Republican opposition to the bill Settlement fund worth $1.776 billion To compensate Trump allies who believe they have been subjected to political persecution.
Mullen, who was appointed by Trump to lead Homeland Security After his predecessor, Kristi Noem He will appear before the Senate on Tuesday for the first time since his confirmation hearing in March.
The hearing also comes as Mullen, who has presented himself as a steady hand in a department ravaged by instability during Noem’s tenure, has put the travel industry on edge with… Threats of withdrawal US Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in so-called “sanctuary cities.”
Such a move could upend international travel at a time when millions of visitors are preparing to come to the United States for the World Cup.
Mullen said during a news conference on Monday that if necessary, he has a plan to withdraw CBP officers from airports to assist with security at airports. Delaney Hall ICE Facility In Newark, New Jersey, where demonstrators were protesting the conditions inside. But he said the state was working to provide security there, so there was no need for that at the moment.
New Jersey State Police on Friday relieved federal immigration enforcement agents who had been confronting protesters at the facility for several days. On Sunday, Newark’s mayor also imposed a curfew around the center.
“As long as we continue this partnership with local and state law enforcement, there will be no need to do that,” Mullen told reporters during a news conference in Dallas on Monday in response to questions about whether he would withdraw CBP officers from airports.
Mullen can also expect to face questions about a recent announcement from US Citizenship and Immigration Services requiring most green card applicants to apply for permanent residency from their home country, changing a long-standing policy that has allowed them to do so from the United States and pushing Widespread confusion Between immigration attorneys and their clients.