Homeland Security Secretary Mullin announces election security review

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has announced plans to conduct a post-election security review following the midterm elections. During an all-hands address at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) headquarters, Mullin stated he intends to hold a “debrief” to evaluate the nation’s election security posture and consider potential changes to bolster public confidence in voting systems.

Mullin emphasized that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not seeking to “suppress” votes, but rather aims to ensure that ballots are secure and legally cast. While the specific scope of the review remains unclear, the announcement follows efforts by the Trump administration to increase control over election procedures, including attempts to restrict mail voting and requests to the Justice Department to withhold ballots from individuals flagged as alleged noncitizens.

In a separate legal development, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to reinstate a regulation that previously allowed immigration judges to use “administrative closure” to temporarily postpone deportation proceedings. This decision maintains an agreement between the Trump administration and Texas that restricts the practice, which had previously allowed some immigrants to remain in the U.S. indefinitely while their cases were pending.