DHS Secretary Mullin to Sanctuary Cities: 'If They're Not Going to Do Their Job, ICE Will'

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivered a stark warning to so-called sanctuary cities on September 3, 2026, vowing that federal immigration enforcement would proceed with or without local cooperation. The comments come as ICE arrests have reached record levels under the Trump administration, with more than 50,000 illegal aliens apprehended in August alone.

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has issued a direct ultimatum to sanctuary cities and states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement: cooperate, or federal agents will do the job without you.

"If these sanctuary cities and sanctuary states would just simply allow us to pick these individuals up, once they arrest them, they charge them, and before they release them back on the streets, let us deport them," Mullin said in a Newsmax interview on September 3. "But they refuse to work with us" .

"President Trump ran on restoring law and order. So guess what? If they're not going to do their job, the men and women at ICE will do their job" .

Record-Breaking Enforcement Under Mullin's Watch

The secretary's强硬 stance comes amid unprecedented immigration enforcement numbers under his leadership. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 50,925 illegal aliens nationwide in August, breaking the monthly record of 50,208 set in July, according to DHS figures released Wednesday .

The numbers have steadily climbed since Mullin took office in March 2026, following his confirmation by a 54-45 Senate vote . The secretary replaced Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Trump after controversial high-profile operations drew intense media scrutiny and public backlash .

Mullin said the department deliberately reduced its media profile after he took over, allowing ICE agents to work more effectively without protesters and cameras complicating operations . "What our goal was [was] to not be on the front page of the news every single day," Mullin told Newsmax . "Because if our men and women are out there and able to do their job without protesters showing up, without cameras being all over the place, without it being politicized, we knew we could increase our numbers. And that's exactly what we've done" .

Targeting the 'Worst of the Worst'

Mullin has emphasized that ICE is focusing on illegal immigrants with criminal records rather than conducting large-scale workplace raids or sweeping operations .

"We're focusing on truly the worst of the worst," Mullin said. "We're focusing on these detainers that these liberal states are releasing out of prison, meaning these detainers are individuals that are in prison, that these sanctuary cities and sanctuary states are releasing back on the streets" .

Speaking to the National Governors Association in August, Mullin implored states and cities to cooperate with federal immigration detainers — requests to hold individuals without legal status after they have served time in prison or jail . "That shouldn't be controversial," he said. "We're not doing job-site raids. We're not going to Home Depot and raiding the parking lot. These are individuals that have already been convicted of a crime" .

The secretary warned that without local cooperation, ICE agents would be forced to pursue arrests in public spaces, creating greater risks for officers, the public, and the individuals being arrested . "We're going to arrest them, and then we're going to arrest them in a public space, which could cause more problems and put our officers at risk, the public at risk, and the person we're serving the detainer at risk" .

Operation Rotten Apple

DHS has launched several high-profile enforcement operations targeting sanctuary jurisdictions, most recently "Operation Rotten Apple" conducted across New York from July 27 through August 29 . Mullin said ICE arrested 2,197 illegal aliens during the operation, including individuals convicted of murder, rape, child sex crimes, and drug trafficking .

One of those arrested was a Ukrainian national with convictions for kidnapping, abduction resulting in death, criminal possession of a weapon, and murder, according to DHS . Another suspect from Colombia had previously been arrested for "course of sexual conduct against a child" .

Mullin highlighted the operation during an appearance on "The Ingraham Angle," noting that he had been in the Oval Office with President Trump just minutes earlier discussing ways to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities .

"President Trump is looking for ways. He had other people that were in the Oval Office with me talking about how can we hold federal funding from these sanctuary cities that are refusing to just simply do one thing: uphold the law of the land," Mullin said .

The secretary told Fox News that deportation flights are leaving the United States daily for destinations including Haiti, Venezuela, Mexico, and Guatemala, as well as countries in Europe and the Middle East . "Every single day these flights are leaving our soil and returning these individuals where they came from," he said .

Threats to Pull Airport Resources

Beyond withholding funding, Mullin has repeatedly threatened to pull Customs and Border Protection resources from international airports in sanctuary jurisdictions — a move that could cause major disruptions for travelers .

"If CBP isn't there processing international flights, then those individuals when the airlines land won't be permitted into the United States," Mullin said on Fox News in May . "If things don't change, we're gonna have to make this step pretty quick" .

The secretary first raised the possibility in April and has escalated the threat in recent months . In May, Mullin said DHS was "currently drawing up plans" to halt international flight processing in sanctuary cities .

"If they're going to not allow us to go out and arrest the worst of the worst, and then when we call for assistance at the facilities... they're barricading our employees from coming in and out of the facility, then why are we processing international flights into the airport there?" Mullin said .

The proposal has faced pushback from within the administration, including from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. "We shouldn't shut down air travel in a state that doesn't agree with our politics," Duffy said during a congressional hearing .

Mullin's Strategy: Lower Profile, Higher Impact

Since taking office, Mullin has sought to rehabilitate the image of immigration enforcement officers who, under his predecessor, faced near-daily negative headlines about aggressive immigration pushes in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis . Border czar Tom Homan has reportedly taken Mullin under his wing, speaking with him multiple times a day .

Mullin has emphasized cooperation with states that work with federal officials. In Oklahoma, 76 of the state's 77 counties cooperate with federal detainers . "It's not on the news," Mullin said. "You don't see us around because the state is doing most of the work" .

Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who took over leadership of the National Governors Association, acknowledged a shift in approach. "There is an absolute difference in what we have seen from the start of the administration to now," Moore said .

The Bottom Line

Mullin's tough talk reflects the Trump administration's broader immigration agenda, which has made enforcement a cornerstone of its second-term policy. With record arrest numbers and threats to pull resources from resistant jurisdictions, the secretary has made clear that sanctuary cities will face consequences for refusing to cooperate — and that ICE will continue doing its job with or without local help.