WATCH: Blumenthal questions Mullin about DHS agents entering homes without judicial warrants

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, whether he’d commit to the agency instructing its immigration enforcement agents to no longer forcibly enter people’s homes without a judicial warrant. Blumenthal said a subcommittee’s report showed that these incidents happened more often than what outgoing DHS head Kristi Noem told lawmakers in her last hearing. He also said a whistleblower claimed that the uptick of these instances occurred after a memo from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons instructed agents to break into homes without a judicial warrant. “I said we will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant unless we're pursuing the individual that runs into a place of business or a resident or a house,” Mullin said at his confirmation hearing Wednesday by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Trump tapped Mullin to take over the embattled agency from Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month after her leadership came under bipartisan scrutiny during tense congressional hearings. Mullin was elected to Congress in 2012 and has branded himself as a businessman and a Washington outsider. As Homeland Security secretary, Mullin, a former business owner, would take charge of one of the biggest government agencies, leading the nation’s disaster response, counterterrorism efforts, border security and the president’s mass deportation agenda. A former mixed martial arts fighter who once challenged the Teamsters president to a fight during a Senate hearing, Mullin has pledged to stay “focused on protecting the homeland" if he is confirmed. The Republican Party is considering a pivot on how it approaches immigration enforcement as more voters grow concerned over DHS agents’ aggressive tactics, which has led to the shooting deaths of at least three U.S. citizens since Trump retook office. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour