Mullin pledges progress on disaster relief during his first official trip as DHS secretary

CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday toured areas of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene in 2024, revealing plans to prioritize relief for disaster-hit communities in his first official trip since replacing Kristi Noem, whose leadership sowed uncertainty over the federal disaster response.

While the trip focused on emergency management, Mullin also weighed in on immigration enforcement, a central policy of the Trump administration, which his department also oversees. He suggested he might halt customs clearance at airports serving cities whose local governments resist the administration’s immigration policies, a move that would align with his predecessor’s tough-line approach.

At his confirmation hearing last month, Mullin tried to project a softer tone on immigration enforcement, after a backlash following high-profile operations and the deaths of two Americans at the hands of federal officers. Mullin also signaled a different approach to the Federal Emergency Management Agency following criticism of Noem’s policies.

During a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Mullin said FEMA is focused on catching up on past disaster work and reducing needs built up during his predecessor’s tenure as the Atlantic hurricane season approaches, which begins June 1.

“Disasters happen all the time,” Mullin said, adding that he would brief President Donald Trump on Tuesday about the 22 major disaster declaration requests still pending from states and tribes across the United States. “We’re trying to move these things forward as quickly as possible.”

Mullin also said he “may have identified” a candidate for permanent FEMA administrator, who is its third temporary leader since Trump took office, but declined to name him.

Asked if eliminating FEMA — something Trump has threatened to do — was still on the table, Mullin said “reforming FEMA would be a better term.”

Mullin’s visit comes less than a week after he ended Noem’s directive that all DHS spending over $100,000 must be personally approved by the secretary’s office, a rule that critics said was bottlenecking FEMA reimbursements and undermining disaster response and recovery.

Mullin threatens to remove CBP officers from some airports

Although Mullin has already made progress on disaster response, he has yet to lay out a clear vision on immigration control, although he is expected to align with the president’s vision. This was clear from his comments about the removal of Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in so-called “sanctuary cities.”

“If they don’t enforce immigration laws, why should I process immigration in their city? Mullin said, adding that the idea was still under consideration. He suggested he would raise the idea during his briefing with Trump.

Mullin gave no further details. But removing CBP officers from airports could disrupt international travel and trade. CBP officers screen all travelers entering the country as well as the billions of dollars of commerce entering through land crossings and airports.

The Trump administration has already threatened to defund Democratic cities and says they are not cooperating with immigration enforcement.

North Carolina still hard hit

Few disaster-stricken regions have felt the impacts of FEMA’s recent tumult as acutely as North Carolina, where about $1.6 billion in public FEMA assistance has been obligated so far and about 2,000 projects are still in some stage of FEMA approval, according to a letter that North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein sent to Mullin after he was sworn in.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis criticized Noem for delays in reimbursements to his state just days before her firing, telling her during a Senate hearing that she had “failed” FEMA.

Mullin said during the roundtable that Trump told him he wanted North Carolina to be his first stop and told Mullin “he wanted North Carolina to love him.”

North Carolina is of outsized political importance this year. Tillis, one of the state’s Republican senators, is retiring, giving Democrats hope for a comeback this fall. The race is sure to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending and pits Democrat Roy Cooper, the state’s former governor, against Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Helen, a 560 kilometer wide hurricane, devastated several southeastern states in September 2024.

The storm caused 108 deaths in North Carolina and $60 billion in damage. It destroyed homes, businesses and utility infrastructure. Entire communities were isolated, requiring helicopter rescues after roads and bridges were washed away.

The damage from the hurricane is still visible, with cars and remains of homes washed up on the banks, remnants of destroyed bridges and piles of thick trees and branches that rushed down the river as it turned into a torrent of water.

Misinformation enveloped FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene

Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican representing some of the affected areas who lost one of his own businesses in the storm, said Tuesday he was also frustrated by what he called FEMA’s “red tape” and the difficulties local communities faced in receiving payments.

“There’s still a lot of bureaucracy there,” said Edwards, who welcomed Mullin’s removal of the $100,000 rule.

FEMA’s presence in North Carolina got off to a tense start as distrust grew among some concerned residents, fueled in part by then-candidate Trump’s misinformation about the Biden administration and FEMA’s response in the swing state.

Edwards found himself debunking FEMA-related misinformation shortly after the storm, telling his constituents that FEMA was not diverting donations to the border or seizing property, among other claims.

After an armed man was arrested in Lake Lure for making threats against FEMA workers, the agency temporarily suspended door-to-door home visits in affected areas.

Stein, a Democrat, welcomed Mullin’s visit. “It is encouraging to see that Secretary Mullin is getting to work,” he told The Associated Press in a statement Tuesday.

On Monday, FEMA approved a $26 million buyout of damaged and destroyed homes in North Carolina, saying in a statement that Mullin encouraged the agency to “redouble its efforts” to help survivors.

Mullin’s remarks stand in stark contrast to those of his predecessor Noem, who repeatedly called for the elimination of FEMA “as it exists today.” Trump floated the idea of ​​eliminating FEMA altogether during a visit to North Carolina just days into his second term, calling the agency “a very big disappointment.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to shift more responsibility for disasters onto states, and a president-appointed FEMA assessment board is soon expected to issue a report recommending sweeping reforms to how and to what extent the federal government supports communities affected by disasters.

While most FEMA employees are still being paid during the record partial government shutdown, many offices were ordered to slow or stop work shortly after the shutdown began on February 14.

Meanwhile, the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund is running out, with about $3.6 billion remaining. The DHS appropriations bill would replenish the fund with more than $26 billion.

____

Gabriela Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego, California.