The Homeland Security secretary said immigration enforcement operations remain broadly focused despite efforts to lower the public profile of ongoing arrests and removals.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security has not narrowed its deportation strategy solely to criminal illegal aliens and remains committed to removing all individuals residing in the United States illegally.
During an appearance on Rob Schmitt Tonight on Newsmax, host Rob Schmitt asked Mullin whether the administration had shifted its enforcement priorities toward illegal immigrants with criminal records rather than broader deportation efforts.
“No, we’re staying focused on all illegals, without question,” Mullin responded.
Mullin said the agency has intentionally reduced the amount of publicity surrounding immigration operations in an effort to allow federal officers to work with less outside interference.
“We’re purposely trying to be a little bit more quiet,” Mullin said. “I made this very clear, when we were moving forward with my nomination, that I wanted to get DHS out of the headlines so our ICE agents, our CBP agents, and all the other law enforcement agencies we have underneath DHS could go do their jobs without being harassed by the media.”
He added that lowering the public profile of enforcement actions does not indicate any reduction in operational activity.
“That doesn’t mean we’re slowing down even a little bit,” Mullin said.
According to Mullin, immigration enforcement agencies arrested more than 1,900 individuals in a single day this week. He also stated that more than 60,000 individuals are currently in detention while undergoing deportation proceedings.
“Last week, we deported over 2,700,” Mullin said.
He acknowledged that legal challenges and court proceedings have slowed some removals but maintained that the department continues operating at full capacity.
“We’re getting slowed down a little bit because of some of our court issues,” Mullin said. “We’re working through that, but we haven’t missed a beat. We’re still on track, pushing as hard as we can.”
Mullin also said DHS has increasingly relied on cooperation with local law enforcement agencies to carry out immigration enforcement operations.
“We just are doing it in a different way, by using local law enforcement to work with us,” he said.
The remarks come amid continued national debate over immigration enforcement, deportation policy, and coordination between federal agencies and state or local authorities under the Trump administration’s broader border security strategy.