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The Department of Homeland Security is changing its official seal to symbolize its ongoing fight against threats facing the United States, Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced. The new seal will show the eagle, a longstanding emblem of American power, turning its head toward a bundle of arrows instead of a palm leaf—signaling a shift from peacetime to a "state of war."
Mullin explained that the change reflects the department’s daily battles against terrorism, drug cartels, cyberattacks, and violence targeting public officials.
“If you look at most of our seals throughout all the agencies, the eagle looks to the palm because that's in a time of peace,” Secretary Mullin said on Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing. “We're actually changing our seal to make it look towards the arrows, because when it looks towards the arrows is when it means we're at war.” Mullin emphasized that the department is “at war every single day” against those who threaten the country. He said today’s top threats include terrorists who work with drug cartels, as well as cybercriminals from countries like Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. According to Mullin, these cyberattacks happen hundreds of thousands of times each week.
The department is also rolling out new security measures, such as biometric checks at the border, to catch individuals with criminal records who might try to enter the country using false names. Mullin acknowledged that the rollout of technology and other security measures has been slowed by government shutdowns and funding lapses. Despite these challenges, he stressed the importance of staying agile in an ever-shifting risk environment, as threats change day by day.
With campaign season underway and political tensions high, Mullin also called for calm, urging Americans to respect differences and avoid violence, especially during public debates and elections. He reiterated that DHS’s mission is to protect the republic and stop violent acts, regardless of political opinion.
"The American people have to realize that we do have a republic, and the republic has different opinions. And it's okay to have different opinions, just when you cross the line and say that that different opinion needs to be silenced, needs to be silenced through violence — that's where Homeland comes into place, that's where we're going to stop that violent act," Mullin said.
The updated DHS seal is expected to become official in the coming weeks, reinforcing the department’s message that it is ready to confront threats—whether they come by land, sea, air, or cyberspace—every single day.