All posts tagged "department of homeland security"

Trump official who once claimed to have teleported to Waffle House forced out: report

The third-ranking official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency is stepping away, according to the Washington Post.

Gregg Phillips is on leave after he was "asked to step away from his role because of concerns about how he's publicly perceived," a person familiar with the situation told the Washington Post in a new report.

Phillips claimed that God teleported him to a Waffle House 50 miles away and then doubled down by posting "haters gonna hate" in a Truth Social post.

"Teleporting is no fun," Phillips said on a podcast last year. "It was real."

Journalists weren't the only ones floored. Trump asked, "Was he kidding?" when pressed for a response. A White House official told CNN that he was sidelined after the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's parent agency, was urged to remove him from public view.

"Everyone's thoughts were, 'What the hell is this? This guy has got to go,'" a White House official reportedly said earlier this year.

The Washington Post noted that Phillips also made controversial claims about millions of "noncitizens" voting illegally in the 2016 election. The comments surfaced after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appointed Phillips in December.

"Phillips also did not have any official, prominent experience managing emergencies," the Post noted. According to the Post, Phillips oversaw "critical, fast-moving operations" and an office that "puts equipment and other supplies in place before hurricanes hit."

DHS officials confirmed to the Washington Post on Thursday that Phillips had gone on leave. The Post also noted other leadership shake-ups in the Trump administration, including FEMA official Cameron Hamilton, who was forced out after objecting to dismantling the agency.

Markwayne Mullin mocked as he struggles to control temper: 'Too emotional for this job'

The internet was in a frenzy on Thursday after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin lost his temper — while holding a pink stress ball — when he was grilled by a Democratic congresswoman.

Mullin interrupted ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and told her she should "be put in her place," exploding at the longtime lawmaker at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing where he was testifying on the Department of Homeland Security's budget.

Political commentators mocked Mullin's explosive reaction.

"Mullin seems to be too emotional for this job," Angry Staffer, political commentator and former White House staffer, wrote on X.

" Trump appointees have run roughshod over the committee process for 17 months. Regularly berating members and avoiding answering questions. It's really something to see a GOP chairman actually stand up for his branch of government, for once," CNN senior political reporter Aaron Blake wrote on X.

"Rosa DeLauro is a legend, a constant champion for children over her long career. Markwayne Mullin, on the other hand, will, with the rest of the infamous, need to lawyer up once power shifts and accountability finally comes," progressive political commentator Dean Barker wrote on Bluesky.

"Men are too emotional to handle the levers of government," Gabe Ortiz, writer for immigration advocacy group America's Voice, wrote on Bluesky.

"Mullin is obnoxious," attorney and former public defender Frank Amari wrote on Bluesky.

Mullin seems to be too emotional for this job https://t.co/nXBNg6xoTc
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) June 25, 2026

Trump DHS accused of retaliating against ICE observers by stripping travel rights

A new lawsuit is accusing the Department of Homeland Security of punishing protesters by taking away certain travel rights.

The Intercept, an online news agency, filed the lawsuit against DHS after the agency failed to respond to a records request made under the Freedom of Information Act. The records related to reports that immigration agents have retaliated by taking away passports, TSA PreCheck, and Global Entry access.

The filing detailed how "a civilian observing ICE submitted a declaration stating that her TSA PreCheck and Global Entry were revoked three days after an encounter with immigration enforcement officials."

TSA PreCheck provides quicker airport security screening, while Global Entry allows expedited entry into the U.S. The cases mentioned in the Intercept filing mostly relate to left-wing activists and protesters.

"At least one prominent supporter of transgender rights has reportedly had her Global Entry and U.S. passport cancelled in the past few months," the filing added. "To shed light on the federal government's actions that may impact the travel and privacy rights of civilian protesters, Plaintiff filed several FOIA requests."

The filing also brings up how federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component agency of DHS, confronted people recording or protesting agents deployed by the Trump administration to Minnesota in January.

One video mentioned in the filing shows "federal agents recording a protester, saying that they were recording her 'because we have a nice little database, and now you're considered a domestic terrorist.'" The Intercept's FOIA request seeks records about the creation of that database.

Another recording cited in the filing depicts a federal agent saying, "Well, this person is gonna have a hard time traveling from now on" after taking a photo of an ICE observer's license plate.

Kristi Noem schooled online after South America gaffe: 'Buy these idiots a map'

Ex-Trump cabinet secretary Kristi Noem proved her poor geography skills on live TV, and online commentators let her have it.

During an interview, the former Department of Homeland Security chief flubbed as she answered NEWSMAX anchor Greta Van Susteren's question, "Who is our best friend in South America at this point?"

Noem responded, "We've worked so much with El Salvador," and "Costa Rica has been fantastic."

On X, onlookers mocked the former DHS chief for not knowing that those countries are in Central America, not South America.

"Can someone buy these idiots a map?" political strategist Mike Nellis demanded.

South Dakota-based political writer Michael Freeman pleaded, "Please don't judge the schools of my home state of South Dakota by the former governor."

"There was a time, kids, when government officials could find different countries on maps," lamented podcaster Hemant Mehta.

Trump DHS chief torched after telling New Yorkers to 'wise up'

The head of the Department of Homeland Security is getting an earful after he told New Yorkers to "wise up."

During a press conference, Markwayne Mullin went after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his constituents.

"He and I don't get along," Mullin said about Mamdani. "It's shameful, and hopefully people in New York will wise up and get a true leader in there in a few years."

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, fired back, writing, "Nothing like an Oklahoman with no ties to New York City trying to tell the city what to think about its highly popular mayor."

"New Yorkers definitely want a plumber from Oklahoma telling them what to do," journalist John Harwood wrote.

"The leader of American Gestapo is both dumb as a rock and purely evil," Norman Ornstein, a political scientist and contributing editor for The Atlantic, posted.

"It really is shameful that ol' Markwayne is so hateable that even he can't get along with someone as likeable as Mamdani," podcaster Roy Bellamy wrote. "Hopefully America will wise up and get true leaders in here in November and beyond."

"Does Donald Trump know that Markwayne is insulting his friend Mamdani?" asked author and editor Grant Stern, referring to reports that the two elected leaders are friendly.

"Any attacks on Mamdani from the admin appointees only make Trump's genuine affection for him even funnier," Max Steele, the senior director for communications for Everytown for Gun Safety, agreed.

Noem's husband chased 'one last hoo-ha' with mistress as bombshell story broke: report

The husband of former Trump cabinet secretary Kristi Noem asked his dominatrix for "one last hoo-ha" as stories about his scandal broke, the model said.

The Daily Mail reported earlier this year that Bryon Noem carried on a years-long relationship with dominatrix Shy Sotomayor, who performs under the name Raelynn Riley. In a recent interview with former GOP strategist Rick Wilson, Sotomayor spilled more tea about her relationship with Bryon and how he reacted after their secret relationship was exposed.

The bombshell report published photos and messages detailing how Bryon enjoyed "bimbofication" at the hands of highly paid sex workers while his wife was the head of the Department of Homeland Security and the South Dakota governor before that. Bryon didn't deny messaging models and sending photos when The Mail reached out to him while his wife's spokesperson said she was "blindsided."

Sotomayor said that after she tried cutting off contact with Bryon, she "never heard from him," until the scandalous story broke.

"A day later, the news pops up. So he was still talking to me as people were like reporting on him and submitting like screenshots," Sotomayor told Wilson. "I think he was trying to get one last hoo-ha, you know, out of it."

She estimated that her contact with Bryon dropped off around "early May, April."

The Daily Mail exposé came out in late March. Noem was ousted as DHS secretary in March.

Trump cabinet secretary given slush fund through new immigration bill: report

A Trump cabinet secretary will have a slush fund of his own after the House passed a funding bill for immigration enforcement, according to reporting by Politico.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will have $5 billion to "dole out at his discretion" after the House voted 214-212 to approve a $70 billion package, the report added.

The funding includes $65 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, adding to the $140 billion Republicans awarded to the two DHS agencies last year. The reconciliation package follows a congressional standoff that led to a months-long shutdown of DHS.

Politico noted that DHS agents, including ICE, are seeking judicial warrants to enter private residences and that Mullin refused to commit to following court orders. Immigration detention centers have also been accused of inhumane treatment, which Mullin dismissed, Politico added.

DHS looking into selling Kristi Noem's 'shagtastic' luxury jet: report

The Department of Homeland Security is looking into selling the $70 million luxury jet acquired by its former chief, Kristi Noem, according to reporting by NBC News.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 that Noem bought with taxpayer money was fitted with a queen bed, kitchenette, and cream leather seats and lent to First Lady Melania Trump. Noem insisted that it was for deporting immigrants and that she didn't recognize photos of it during a congressional oversight hearing.

DHS officials, however, have openly doubted that the jet was used for deportations, calling the idea "far-fetched." The jet carries 18 passengers, with sleeping room for 14. Commentators have described the jet as "shagtastic" and pointed out that Noem flew in it with former special government employee Corey Lewandowski, who was long rumored to be her lover.

With Noem out of the job, the jet is now one of several planes that DHS is looking to sell, officials with the department told NBC News. No decision on whether to sell it has been made.

DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also have it in mind to put several mega-warehouses on the market. The warehouses were also acquired under Noem amid plans to detain 100,000 immigrants nationwide.

ICE wants to hawk mega-warehouses meant for mass deportation: report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wants to sell huge warehouses it bought earlier this year with the intention of turning them into massive detention facilities, according to reporting by NBC News.

ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, are considering selling "several" of its eleven warehouses purchased for more than $38 million this year, two DHS officials told NBC News.

Some of the warehouses were expected to hold as many as 8,000 immigrants each, DHS officials told NBC News. Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem planned to build out enough detention centers to incarcerate 100,000 immigrants at a time, in addition to existing facilities, NBC noted.

The warehouses haven't been put on the market as the Trump administration hasn't made a final decision yet on whether to sell them, DHS officials told NBC News.

New DHS chief faceplants as he tries to 'win currency with the emperor': analyst

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was brought into the fold to try and take the heat off the Trump administration and its "scandal-soaked predecessor, Kristi Noem" — but that hasn't exactly panned out, an analyst reported on Thursday.

The Bulwark's Andrew Egger wrote that Mullin appears to have followed in Noem's footsteps, and he might not have considered one question: "What if he turned out to be exactly the same?"

"Markwayne Mullin was brought in to stop the scandals and boost DHS morale. He’s not off to a great start," Egger wrote.

Reports have surfaced this week that Mullin has been pushing to get his wife on the agency's payroll and flying on the same $70 million luxury jet that Noem used, traveling to his home state of Oklahoma and often working there instead of Washington, D.C. He's also pushed the "jaw-dropping" idea that the Trump administration should halt flights into blue cities, something the travel industry has warned could have "devastating consequences," Egger wrote.

He even blamed a Democratic lawmaker for getting pepper-sprayed outside an ICE detention center, claiming it was the senator's own fault.

Mullin might not be that different from Noem, and it's likely he has the same motivations, Egger explained.

"The fact that Mullin keeps pitching the plan anyway shows how perverse the incentive structures remain for Trump’s underlings," Egger wrote. "You might think that Mullin, who was explicitly brought into DHS to stop the endless parade of scandals that followed Noem, would spend a bit more time working the kinks out of his plans before introducing them to the world.

"But that’s not how it works in Trump’s orbit: The only way to win currency with the emperor is to roll the ball forward in directions you think he’ll personally like, and to be seen doing so on TV if you can swing it. Trump hates blue cities and loves punishing them in performative ways. So forget the law, forget what’s fair, forget the economy, forget winning back disaffected voters, forget good policy — Markwayne’s going to dance for him the only way he likes."