Acting DHS Secretary Touts Zero Migrant Releases Under Trump, Criticizes Sanctuary Policies

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visited the Arizona border Thursday, asserting that no migrants apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally have been released into the country during the first 17 months of former President Donald Trump’s administration. Mullin toured a section of the border where wall construction had recently concluded, stating that the area previously saw hundreds of thousands of migrants enter undetected under the Biden administration.

Mullin claimed that during the Biden administration, between 500,000 and 1 million migrants were apprehended and released in the Arizona border region, though he acknowledged exact figures might be unknown due to incomplete record-keeping by the previous administration. He stated that under Trump, this number has fallen to zero.

"Under the Biden administration, there was no national security — because you can’t have national security if you don’t know who’s inside the country," Mullin told The California Post. "A secure border, and knowing who’s entering your country, is where you can start actually saying we have national security."

The acting DHS chief also reported that federal authorities have apprehended 2,268 known terrorists entering the country illegally since Trump's return to the White House, arguing that the administration's enforcement measures have enhanced national safety. "American people deserve to be safe in their cities, in their towns, on their streets, in their neighborhoods, at their schools, while they’re shopping," Mullin said. "And every single murder that takes place at the hands of an illegal is 100 percent preventable."

Despite these claims of increased security, the completion of Trump's border wall project faces delays, with the current estimate pushing the completion date to the end of 2027. Mullin had previously projected the initial wall section would be finished by June of the following year. He attributed the slowdown to numerous lawsuits filed by environmental groups and political opponents, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, which have created obstacles to accessing necessary land for construction. Mullin emphasized that even increased funding might not accelerate the process due to these legal challenges.

"National security should be first. We want to be good stewards of the land too," Mullin stated. "But because we have these activist judges, because we have areas like that, it’s slowing down our ability to gain access to some of this land."

Mullin also criticized sanctuary policies in states like California and New York, which limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. He argued that these policies impede the administration's deportation and enforcement efforts and create more problems than they solve, ultimately reducing freedom for citizens.

"I get that some people may not like immigration enforcement, but the truth is, we’re a nation of laws," Mullin said. "The sanctuary cities and sanctuary states do nothing to help people’s lives out. They actually cause more problems and take freedom away from American citizens who are trying to live their lives."