Senate approves Trump's Homeland nominee with US immigration

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee for Homeland Security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, to replace outgoing Kristi Noem, heralding a shift in leadership as public support for Trump's immigration crackdown has fallen.



The vote count was 54-45.



Mullin, a businessman and former mixed-martial arts fighter, backs Trump's hardline immigration view but signaled during a confirmation hearing that he would dial back some aggressive immigration policies, including a directive that said federal immigration officers could forcibly enter private homes or businesses without judicial warrants.



Democrats have blocked funding for the 260,000-person Department of Homeland Security since mid-February in a push to scale back Trump's immigration enforcement tactics.



Airport security screeners who have missed paychecks have increasingly been calling out sick, leading to longer lines in U.S. airports.



Senate Republicans repeatedly have rejected a Democratic bill that would have paid Transportation Security Administration workers while negotiations on immigration enforcement practices continued.