The Department of Homeland Security Theater

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.3 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

ICE at airports. TSA lines out the door. And a new boss at DHS amid its funding shutdown. After the deaths on the streets of Minneapolis, after the theatrics of Greg Bovino, after the drama of Kristi Noem, ICE may be entering a new era. Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as the new DHS head, having struck a softer tone than his predecessor during hearings. He told senators that he would stop the practice of agents entering people’s houses without judicial warrants. But what will this new era look like? Our guest is the Atlantic staff writer Nick Miroff, who covers immigration. --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There once was a woman who lived in a shoe.
0:03.0	A size too snug, but what could she do?
0:06.0	But that's not where her story ends.
0:08.0	Thanks to a little help from her Experian friends,
0:11.0	she got her score into much better shape
0:13.0	and relocated to a box fresh new place,
0:16.0	with room to grow and a mortgage to suit.
0:19.0	Now, she lives in a spacious four-bedroom cowboy boots.
0:23.3	Better your Experian credit score to help get mortgage ready.
0:26.5	Experian.
0:27.5	Better your score.
0:28.7	Better your story.
0:35.1	The Department of Homeland Security is now weeks into its funding lapse.
0:40.0	Last Friday, with TSA lines at airports growing, a woman named Linda called into a conservative radio show to offer a thought.
0:47.8	Clay, I think I have a solution to the TSA problem.
0:51.4	What we need to do is we need to supplement where we're missing out on TSA agents who
0:56.7	can't afford to work for us anymore. We need to bring in ICE agent. The host, Clay Travis,
1:02.6	loved the thought. I'm going to say, it's kind of a brilliant idea. He loved it enough that he
1:08.6	brought it up on Fox News later that day.
1:11.1	I had a caller on the show, the Clay and Buck show today, Charlie, had an interesting idea.
1:15.8	What if President Trump announced that ICE agents were now going to be supplementing TSA agents inside of all of the airports?
1:25.2	By the next morning, Trump floated the idea on truth social, threatening that if Democrats
	...

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