DHS in Chaos as ‘ICE Barbie’ Henchman Gets the Boot in Power Struggle
A top ally of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was reportedly escorted out of Department of Homeland Security offices this week, deepening turmoil inside the agency following Noem’s recent firing.
Multiple sources told reporters that Joseph Mazzara—a close associate of political strategist Corey Lewandowski—cleared out his office and was escorted from DHS headquarters on Wednesday.
Mazzara’s departure comes less than a week after President Donald Trump removed Noem from her post following intense scrutiny during congressional hearings.
Mazzara had been appointed deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection just three months earlier. The move was reportedly pushed by Lewandowski and other allies of Noem, sparking tensions with longtime CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott.
According to officials familiar with the situation, the appointment was widely viewed inside DHS as an effort to weaken Scott’s authority and potentially force him out of the agency. But the strategy appeared to backfire.
“With Noem gone, Scott had the opening,” one source said, suggesting the commissioner may have used the moment to remove Mazzara from the agency.
Mazzara’s rise inside DHS had been controversial from the start. Though he is a Marine veteran and experienced attorney, he had no prior law-enforcement background before being elevated to one of the most senior roles inside CBP.
Before joining CBP, Mazzara served as acting general counsel at DHS and previously worked in the Texas attorney general’s office under Ken Paxton.
Critics inside the department say Mazzara became known for aggressively pushing out career officials and replacing them with political appointees aligned with the Trump administration.
“He was Corey’s henchman,” one DHS insider said, alleging that Mazzara tried to remove staff members seen as insufficiently loyal to Noem, Lewandowski, and Trump.
However, allies of Noem and Lewandowski denied that Mazzara had been forced out, with a source close to the pair calling the report “1,000 percent untrue.”
The power struggle highlights growing internal divisions inside DHS following Noem’s departure. The department is currently being led by Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar while the Senate considers the nomination of Markwayne Mullin to become the next secretary.
For now, the shake-up signals a dramatic shift inside the agency as longtime political alliances formed under Noem begin to unravel.
