US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has announced that the department's official seal will be altered so that its eagle faces towards a bundle of arrows rather than an olive/palm branch, a change he said symbolises the fact that DHS is now "at war every single day". Speaking ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks, Mullin argued the redesign reflects a shifting and increasingly fluid threat landscape facing the United States, spanning terrorism, drug cartels, cyberattacks, drone incursions and violence against public officials.

Mullin said most agency seals show the eagle facing the palm to denote peacetime, whereas facing the arrows signifies conflict. He described terrorism as still the top threat but noted it has evolved, with Islamist groups increasingly linked to Mexican cartels smuggling fentanyl, which he said has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War; he credited President Donald Trump with designating cartels as terrorist organisations. He also flagged emerging dangers from commercially available drones, warned that political candidates face constant risk, and said DHS tracks hundreds of thousands of cyberattacks weekly linked to Iran, North Korea, China and Russia.