DHS Secretary Rejects Congresswoman's Claim on Immigrant Threat Levels

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has rejected Rep. Pramila Jayapal's claim that the majority of individuals arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pose "absolutely no threat to public safety." Mullin stated on "Saturday in America" that DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remain committed to targeting high-risk individuals to ensure community safety.

"If we're going to have national security in this country, we [need to] know everybody that's entered this country. And so, I'm not going to release you back into the public once we know that you entered this country legally," Mullin said. "It's time for you to go home."

Mullin cited the tragic consequences faced by "angel families" who have lost loved ones due to crimes committed by individuals unlawfully present in the country. "All the angel families that lost their loved ones at the hands of an illegal is 100% preventable, because that illegal shouldn't be in our country to begin with," he added.

Jayapal, the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, had argued that immigration enforcement, particularly under the Trump administration, had targeted immigrants without criminal convictions. She stated that for the first time in the summer, the majority of people arrested by DHS posed no public safety threat, and the number of arrests of individuals with criminal convictions actually decreased.

"That’s because when DHS expends all of its energy to go after parents, longtime friends, neighbors, when [Homeland Security Investigations] agents who are supposed to investigate serious crime and human trafficking are instead being moved to street sweeps and riding along with local police for random traffic stops, we are less safe, not more safe," Jayapal said during a recent hearing.

According to DHS, ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, the highest monthly total on record. The department also reported deporting more than 2,000 known or suspected terrorists since the beginning of the Trump administration.

Mullin characterized Jayapal's statements as political, asserting, "When you have a car accident, and you came… into this country legally, and the Democrats want to say, you're not a criminal and you kill somebody. Yes, you were a criminal and now… you ruined somebody else's life, and now you're a murderer at the same time." He concluded, "It's political for them. They want to say this every day."

DHS regularly publicizes arrests and deportations involving individuals convicted of serious crimes, including murder, child pornography, sexual assault, and drug trafficking. Mullin further emphasized that individuals who break immigration laws and cross borders illegally are considered criminals, stating, "When you decide you're going to break our immigration policies, and you're going to cut the line, you're going to step across our southern border, you're going to step across our northern border. You're still a criminal. We’re still gonna arrest you."