Mullin’s first two months at DHS: deportations, threats against sanctuary cities — and a lower profile | CNN Politics

Two months into his new role, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin finds himself trying to solve a puzzle: How does he deliver on the deportation mandate expected of him by President Donald Trump, while avoiding some of the same pitfalls that led to the ouster of his predecessor? The controversial roving immigration patrols targeting blue states and cities have scaled back. But Mullin still lambasts the elected officials leading these areas and their progressive immigration policies, while the White House’s border czar recently vowed “to flood the zone” in such places with immigration agents. Mullin lent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports suffering staffing shortages during the Department od Homeland Security shutdown, while also threatening to cut funding for some of those same airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. He is hyping his agency’s involvement in securing dozens of upcoming World Cup matches, but has left open the possibility that some of the officers assigned to secure those matches may arrest immigrants — exacerbating a concern of fans who say they will skip or boycott the events.