Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the first Native American to serve as DHS Secretary.
During a tense Homeland Security Committee hearing in the House on Wednesday, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) confronted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin over alleged inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall, a federal immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the first Native American to serve in his position.
McIver, visibly frustrated, told Mullin: “Secretary Mullin, you talk about racism a lot in today’s hearing. You know what’s racist? It’s the fact that every detainee in Delaney Hall is a person of color. The cruelty runs to the top of DHS,” she went on, “weaponizing the immigration system for your president and this administration’s racist grievances.” Delaney Hall is an immigration enforcement facility in a state with nearly half a million illegal immigrants who are primarily Hispanic.
McIver began the interaction by asking Mullin if he had ever visited Delaney Hall, to which Mullin said no before going on to read an open letter signed by detainees at the Newark-based detention facility. The New Jersey representative read the letter, which detailed alleged unsanitary conditions and inedible food. DHS alleges that the food and conditions are fine and notes that those detained could leave at any time and head back to their home countries. They are detained while waiting for their immigration hearings.
