The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with border control, counterterrorism and other aspects of public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the United States Border Patrol), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The current homeland security secretary is Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in on March 24, 2026.
Contents
List of secretaries of homeland security
Prior to the establishment of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there existed an assistant to the president for the Office of Homeland Security, which was created following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Table notes
Republican (7)
Democratic (4)
Independent (5)
Denotes acting homeland security secretary
a. ^ James Loy served as acting secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
b. ^ Rand Beers served as acting secretary in his capacity as confirmed Undersecretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs and Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security; Beers was the highest ranking Senate-approved presidential appointee at the Department of Homeland Security.
c. ^ Elaine Duke served as acting secretary in her capacity as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
d. ^ Kevin McAleenan served as acting secretary in his capacity as Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. His tenure was ruled unlawful.
e. ^ Chad Wolf served as acting secretary in his capacity as Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans. His tenure was ruled unlawful.
f. ^ Peter Gaynor served as acting secretary in his capacity as Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator.
g. ^ David Pekoske served as acting secretary in his capacity as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration
h. ^ Benjamine Huffman served as acting secretary in his capacity as Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
Order of succession
While appointment of acting officials is generally governed by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (FVRA), the Homeland Security Act of 2002 creates exceptions to FVRA, mandating that the under secretary of homeland security for management is third in the line of succession for Secretary of Homeland Security, and establishes an alternate process by which the secretary can directly establish a line of succession outside the provisions of the FVRA.
As of November 8, 2019, the order of succession is as follows. However, the legality of this update was challenged.
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
Under Secretary for Management
Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans
Administrator and Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Formerly, an April 10, 2019 update to the DHS Orders of Succession, made pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, provided a different order in the case of unavailability to act during a disaster or catastrophic emergency:
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
Under Secretary for Management
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Office of the Secretary of Homeland Security
The Office of the Secretary (OS) oversees the execution of the duties of the Department of Homeland Security. Certain elements also aid the secretary of homeland security and senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as private sector and government partners in their duties.
Composition
The Office of the Secretary contains several offices and other elements of the DHS. Most of the heads of these elements report directly to the secretary or deputy secretary, but the military advisor and executive secretary report to the DHS chief of staff, a position that is currently vacant since January 2025.
While DHS secretary Kristi Noem was participating in an immigration raid on April 8, 2025, she was accompanied by former Trump campaign manager and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, who introduced himself to the federal agents as “chief of staff.” DHS later clarified that he is an adviser to DHS and a special government employee.