Steve Bannon has urged President Donald Trump’s supporters to back interim Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte over Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, as the backlash grows over Mullin’s recent comments on immigration reform.
“MAGA wants President Trump to detail ‘Pitbull’ Pulte to DHS,” Bannon told Politico. “Mullin is the wrong guy at the wrong time for the wrong job — a time when we need focus on ‘mass deportations,’ we get an amnesty advocate.”
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The criticism followed remarks Mullin made Saturday during the final day of the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City. At the event, Mullin argued the United States needs comprehensive immigration reform while drawing a distinction between legal and illegal immigration.
“We haven’t had actual immigration reform since 1959. There’s a reason. It’s political,” Mullin said. “Do you really need immigration reform? Yes, you do.”
Mullin said legal immigration remains active, noting that naturalization ceremonies are held daily across the country. He added that roughly 900,000 people became U.S. citizens over the past year. Federal data show more than 815,000 people were naturalized during fiscal 2024.
At the same time, Mullin stressed that the administration would continue aggressively enforcing immigration laws against people who entered the country illegally or overstayed their visas.
“If you are over here and you overstayed your visa, you haven’t changed your status, or you came illegally … there is nothing I can do for you,” he said. “If you have a criminal background, we’re not making exceptions for you. There are zero exceptions.”
Mullin also argued that reforms to some employment-based visa programs could help address labor shortages and boost economic growth.
The remarks prompted criticism from several prominent immigration hard-liners. Former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino wrote on X that “Voters asked for mass deportations. Clear demand. High priority. No ambiguity.” He added, “The guy running DHS is making the case for ‘immigration reform.’ We’ve seen this script before.”
Bannon’s endorsement of Pulte comes despite Pulte’s own controversial appointment as interim director of national intelligence. A longtime Trump ally and former housing official, Pulte has little intelligence experience, drawing criticism from both Republicans and Democrats when Trump selected him to lead the intelligence community on an interim basis.
Despite the backlash from some MAGA figures, the White House is standing behind Mullin.
“The President has confidence in Secretary Mullin and his entire Administration to carry out the agenda the American people voted for,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson told Politico.
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Mullin has also adopted a more measured public tone than his predecessor, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, while continuing to oversee an immigration crackdown that has accelerated under the Trump administration. During the first 11 days of July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement averaged nearly 1,600 arrests per day of suspected undocumented immigrants, surpassing the previous record set in June.
The criticism also comes as Mullin has emphasized working relationships with Democratic governors. Mullin said he has a “real good relationship” with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), who said the two worked “constructively” and “discreetly” while discussing the administration’s proposal to convert two Pennsylvania warehouses into ICE detention facilities, in comments to Politico.
