House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said the Republican Party is “in a course-correction mode” after the immigration enforcement policies under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Johnson maintained confidence that the GOP is doing the work to sustain the votes from a new coalition of typically blue voters it brought into the party in 2024, including Hispanic Americans. Johnson made the comments at the Republican policy retreat, responding to a question about how the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration tactics could affect Hispanic voters in the midterm elections, as the panelist pointed to a poll showing how Trump’s poll numbers are slipping among Hispanics.
“We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters, for certain, because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous. And you know, everybody can describe it differently. But here’s the good news: we’re in a course-correction mode right now,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have a new Secretary of Homeland Security, [Sen.] Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).”
Trump announced last week that he was firing Noem from her role as homeland security secretary and tapping Mullin for the position. Johnson said he is “sure that he’ll be confirmed by the Senate” and called Mullin a “thoughtful guy” who will “bring a thoughtful approach” to the job.
Johnson also pointed to the work of border czar Tom Homan in de-escalating tensions in Minneapolis, where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstrators protested following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of immigration officers. Johnson said Homan “brought calm to the chaos there.”
“We calmed down the immigration enforcement concern. We uphold the rule of law, but we do it in a way that honors the dignity of everyone. And they’ll understand that our party is with them, cares about them, and this is the permanent home where they should be,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that these voters “will see we did what we said we were going to do” and also pointed to economic growth that the GOP expects in 2026.
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“You have bigger tax refunds and bigger paychecks, and the average family — $10,000 more money in their pocket because of Republican policies,” Johnson said.
The House currently has 217 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent, and three vacancies after Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent this week.