Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was on Capitol Hill facing questions from the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
Watch the hearing in the player above.
Mullin did not read his opening remarks, instead submitting them into the committee’s record so that representatives could get straight to questioning him about the department he oversees.
One heated exchange came between Mullin and Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., over Homeland Security not reporting deaths in detentions centers.
Underwood asked Mullin if “the death rate in ICE custody has doubled during President Trump’s second term. Will you commit to reporting detainee deaths as required by law?”
“We do report them, ma’am,” said Mullin.
“What you’re talking about is what Congress has asked us to do, which we’re not required to do is report the deaths after they’re released, that doesn’t That doesn’t make any sense. They’re not under our watch at that point. If they die in our release, we report them.”
This comes after earlier this month Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they would no longer report deaths of detainees who have recently been released from its custody, in a change that could obscure the full human cost of the Trump administration’s mass detention policies.
The move rescinds a 2021 policy implemented by the Biden administration that required ICE to report to Congress and investigate deaths of detainees that occur within 30 days of their release.
The goal of the 2021 policy was to ensure that ICE could not avoid accountability for deaths by releasing severely ill people from custody. Detainees who were brain-dead or suffering from infection, for instance, have died shortly after ICE released them in the past.
Mullin did take time to commend his department on the job they have done so far with the World Cup.
“There’s been no serious issue we’ve had some threats come up we’ve been on the knock it down because of our of our relationship with FBI plus ICE at which has HSI which can investigate go make the rest,” said Mullin.
“So we’ve head of great fan experience we’ve got great report back from our fan base.”
The World Cup, a 48-team, 104-match behemoth across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, presents an unprecedented security challenge, with more countries, games and a larger footprint than ever before.
Overseeing the sprawling security apparatus is a legion of federal agencies, state and local police departments and private entities.
Their responsibilities range from securing stadiums and fan zones to escorting teams and protecting dignitaries.
The tournament has the same high-level federal security designation as the Super Bowl, just below a presidential inauguration or a national political convention, ensuring federal, state and local coordination.
It also coincides with other major events linked to the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
