Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin traveled to Kansas City on Friday to deliver a blunt message: Democrats’ repeated funding fights have left the agency scrambling to secure a city about to host six FIFA World Cup matches, and the clock is running out.
Mullin argued Democrats used DHS funding negotiations to deliberately target immigration enforcement agencies while leaving broader homeland security operations, including the agencies responsible for securing those matches, exposed.
Mullin said DHS endured four shutdowns in a single year, including a 76-day stretch that ended recently, with Democratic leadership repeatedly adding new demands during negotiations. He said the administration turned to budget reconciliation, a process normally reserved for tax and spending overhauls, not routine agency funding, to lock in multi-year ICE and CBP funding after congressional Democrats threatened to trigger another shutdown fight in September.
.@SecMullinDHS on the Democrats’ 76 day DHS shutdown: “They want open borders, and they spend more time protecting the criminals than they do fighting for justice for their own constituents.” pic.twitter.com/uzL69ttd38
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 9, 2026
“We are going to fight every single day to make sure that they can’t play games with our law enforcement anymore.” @SecMullinDHS
While Democrats use law enforcement as political pawns, President Trump and Secretary Mullin will always stand with the men and women defending our… pic.twitter.com/OoJtNznVis
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 9, 2026
“We are going to fight every single day to make sure that they can’t play games with our law enforcement anymore.” @SecMullinDHS
While Democrats use law enforcement as political pawns, President Trump and Secretary Mullin will always stand with the men and women defending our homeland.
Sec. Mullin said in the clip:
“I get that people have strong opinions about this, but the truth is, it’s the only option we have,” Mullin said. “We’re going to fight every single day to make sure that they can’t play games with our law enforcement anymore.”
DHS struggled to reimburse local law enforcement agencies assisting with FIFA security planning after payments stalled for months, Mullin said. Cybersecurity and event protection agencies entered the FIFA preparation window behind schedule, with staffing gutted by repeated shutdowns.
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO), who represents Missouri’s 4th Congressional District, sits on the House Appropriations Committee, and led the House floor effort last week to pass the remaining DHS funding. He joined Mullin at the presser, and said:
This did not have to be this way. We’ve got to make sure that DHS is fully funded. Quit putting the politics in front of our security as a nation.”
Mullin also took direct aim at Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-05), whose district includes one of the 11 stadiums set to host FIFA matches this summer, who voted against DHS funding and claimed the agency had “lost their moral compass.” Mullin turned the charge around.
Markwayne Mullin exposes Democrat moral failure:
“You’ve lost your moral compass when you’re willing to put the lives of your constituents at risk so you can have political talking points and get reelected.” pic.twitter.com/gRTv9SmqS7— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) May 9, 2026
“We didn’t make the laws. We didn’t even make the statutes, Congress did. And if they had wanted to change it, they could have,” Sec. Mullin said, reminding everyone that the Dems “had two years under the Biden administration, with Nancy Pelosi as [House] Speaker, that they could have changed it.” But they chose not to, he added:
You’ve lost your moral compass when you’re willing to put the lives of your constituents at risk so you can have political talking points and get reelected.
Mullin said morale and recruitment across DHS took a serious hit, with ICE, CBP, TSA, and cybersecurity personnel facing hiring freezes, delayed academy classes, and uncertainty over pay.
“How do you recruit somebody to come work for you?” Mullin said. “Hey, by the way, we’re shut down for the fourth time, I can’t pay you, but hey, come on, let’s do this.”
DHS cybersecurity operations were running roughly a third below staffing targets heading into the FIFA tournament, Mullin said, with five to seven million visitors expected in the U.S. during the FIFA cycle, according to State Department projections.
WATCH: Secretary Mullin Holds Press Conference on the Need to Fully Fund CBP & ICE for Next Three Years https://t.co/nR0dT3LhLV
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 9, 2026
DHS now has roughly a month before the first FIFA match in Los Angeles to finalize security operations, the planning for which Mullin said were set back by a year’s worth of Democratic-driven funding fights.
Editor’s Note: ICE and CBP continue to put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect America’s sovereignty and to keep our streets safe.
Help us continue to report the truth about the DHS’s efforts to clean up America by joining RedState VIP and using promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
