US President Donald Trump has announced Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin will be the new Homeland Security secretary, replacing the agency's embattled head Kristi Noem.
The first-term senator, a former mixed martial arts fighter, has been a supporter of Trump and his policies since coming to Washington.
Mullin, known for his fiery personality, will be the second Homeland Security chief in Trump's second administration. The Senate would need to confirm Mullin to the post.
The senator has been complimentary of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to detain undocumented immigrants - a fixture of the Trump administration's policy and a focus for Noem before she was ousted.
Mullin is among the Republicans who have been critical of the ongoing partial US government shutdown, which has allowed funding to lapse from the DHS.
