The Trump administration has now deported over 1,000,000 illegal immigrants from the United States, but roughly a third of those were recent border-crossers who were turned back home, according to new data obtained by The Daily Wire.
The total removals touted by the Trump administration don&#8217;t just include deportations carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but also account for migrants turned away at the border by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Since President Donald Trump&#8217;s return to the White House, ICE has deported roughly 706,000 of the one million total, while CBP has removed around 323,000 others, according to the data provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Additionally, the Coast Guard removed roughly 900 illegal immigrants.
Todd Bensman, who recently left his role as senior adviser to the ICE Office of the Director, said he doesn&#8217;t believe Trump administration officials are fully satisfied with the numbers.
&#8220;I don’t think anyone in the administration is thrilled with these numbers over 18 months given that 200,000-plus a month were pouring over the border for four years straight. But people have to remember that Biden left America’s deportation infrastructure in ruins as it retreated,&#8221; Bensman told The Daily Wire.
Still, Bensman, who is now serving as a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said he&#8217;s optimistic the numbers will shoot up with fewer bureaucratic hurdles in place.
&#8220;Bed space and detention centers had to be rebuilt and 10,000 agents hired and Congress wouldn’t pass the big beautiful budget bill for the first six months. Everything is finally in place now so I’m optimistic the numbers will only climb higher from here,&#8221; he said.
Other former immigration officials who support the president&#8217;s plan say he&#8217;s falling short and that the claim of one million deportations is misleading.
&#8220;People see one big number and think it&#8217;s one operation. It&#8217;s three operations rolled into one. ICE works the interior, CBP works the border, and the Coast Guard works on the water,&#8221; Scott Mechkowski, former ICE New York field office deputy director, said.
Mark Morgan, former acting CBP commissioner, said outright that &#8220;mass deportations are not happening.&#8221;
Morgan and Mechkowski are part of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-faces-pushback-from-conservative-allies-on-deportation-data?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Faces+Pushback+From+Conservative+Allies+On+Deportation+Data">Oversight Project</a>, a nonprofit group that is advocating for a “mass deportation” and is suing the Trump administration over its failure to respond to outstanding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for deportation data. The conservative group argues that the Trump administration may have inflated its deportation statistics.
&#8220;Mass deportation is ICE,&#8221; Morgan said, adding that the removals should only account for &#8220;the people that are already in the United States being removed&#8221; and &#8220;not border security.&#8221;
Morgan likened Trump officials&#8217; touting of one million deportations to the Obama administration&#8217;s misleading deportation data strategy.
Under then-President Barack Obama, nicknamed &#8220;the deporter-in-chief,&#8221; deportation figures largely accounted for recent border crossers who were quickly turned back.
Border returns accounted for 70% of all deportations in fiscal year 2013, <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/publication/deportation-and-discretion-reviewing-record-and-options-change?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Migration Policy Institute. In fiscal year 2016, 85% of all <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/journal/policy-beat/obama-record-deportations-deporter-chief-or-not?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deportations</a> were immediate returns of border crossers.
&#8220;This is exactly what Obama did,&#8221; Morgan said. &#8220;Obama, leading up to the first election, he wanted to appear a little bit tough &#8230; He was combining what ICE and CBP were doing. When somebody comes to the border and they&#8217;re put through voluntary removal, expedited removal, and they&#8217;re not handed over to ICE, that&#8217;s not a deportation.&#8221;
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said 1.4 million illegal immigrants have self-deported, either on their own or through the Trump administration&#8217;s CBP Home app, which pays for their trip home and provides a $2,600 &#8220;exit bonus.&#8221; Self-deportations are separate from the data provided by DHS.
The pace of the Trump administration&#8217;s effort is only expected to pick up with renewed pressure on ICE officers across the country to increase arrest numbers, according to agency sources.
&#8220;It&#8217;s wearing everyone out,&#8221; said one agency source.
&#8220;And at the same time, they want big arrests &#8230; but those take time to sit and find and wait. No vehicle stops too, which is harder. So they want big arrests and numbers at the same time. It&#8217;s hard to do both, not enough time or days to do it,&#8221; the source said.

COSTA RICA-US-MIGRATION-DEPORTED

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Passes Major Deportation Milestone, But There’s More To The Story

Department of Homeland Security

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Markwayne Mullin

mass deportation

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

An illegal immigrant with a rap sheet is accused of murdering an elderly veteran outside his Utah home.
Army and Air Force veteran James Randell “Randy” Witten, 71, was hanging up decorations on his porch in Davis County, Utah, in May when Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin, 24, allegedly drove up and fatally shot him from behind, <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/51596068/newly-unsealed-charges-say-west-point-veterans-doorbell-camera-recorded-the-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to local news outlet KSL.
The accused &#8220;leapt out of the front passenger seat and moved towards James, firing approximately 10 rounds and killing James from behind,&#8221; KSL reported, citing charging documents. Chavez-Marroquin then returned to his car and sped away.
Police received reports of a car with something orange covering its license plate driving &#8220;erratically&#8221; nearby shortly after the shooting, the local outlet reported. One witness reported seeing a passenger tossing donuts, a beanie, a bandana, and gloves out of the vehicle.
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Surveillance footage showed a passenger exiting the vehicle and ripping off the orange tape concealing the license plate before the car headed into Las Vegas hours after the shooting, according to KSL.
Authorities in Nevada located the vehicle on June 16 with Chavez-Marroquin inside and arrested the illegal immigrant. He was transferred to the Davis County Jail in Utah on June 29.
Chavez-Marroquin, who hails from El Salvador, crossed the California border illegally in 2021 before the Biden administration released him into the country, <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/07/20/ice-lodges-arrest-detainer-criminal-illegal-alien-arrested-murdering-veteran-utah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The illegal immigrant received a conviction for domestic violence in Santa Ana, California, in 2024, DHS said. Authorities also arrested him for domestic violence in Laguna Niguel, California, in 2025.
In both cases, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged detainers with authorities in California, who released him from custody under local sanctuary policies, according to DHS.
Chavez-Marroquin arrived in West Point, Utah, from Nevada just eight hours before the shooting and left immediately after carrying out the attack, authorities said.
ICE has lodged a detainer seeking Chavez-Marroquin&#8217;s arrest for the third time following his latest crime, the agency said Monday.
In his latest case, prosecutors have argued that he&#8217;s a flight risk given his ties to El Salvador and his status as a fugitive from California, where he was on probation, according to KSL.
“This monster is charged with murdering a 71-year-old Army and Air Force veteran in Utah. California sanctuary politicians RELEASED this criminal from jail TWICE after arrests for domestic violence. Following his release, he went on to commit this heinous murder,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“This illegal alien should’ve never been allowed on our streets, and James Witten should still be alive today. ICE is now asking officials in Utah to commit to not releasing this criminal from jail and to work with ICE so that we can remove him from our country. Reckless sanctuary policies in states like California are putting American lives at risk,&#8221; Bis added.
The suspect is charged with murder with a dangerous weapons enhancement, discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, obstruction of justice, and dangerous weapon conduct by a restricted person, according to KSL.

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Illegal Immigrant Convict Accused Of Gunning Down Elderly Veteran

Border

deportation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Veterans

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won&#8217;t say whether he briefed President Donald Trump before briefly pausing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops in the wake of two recent fatal shootings.
During a Friday briefing on the department&#8217;s efforts to clean up the voter rolls of noncitizens, Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan asked Mullin to clarify if he informed Trump before suspending ICE traffic stops.
&#8220;The president and I are very close. I was texting with him this morning,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;There&#8217;s no daylight between us and the enforcement. In fact, we have ramped up our enforcement in our arresting illegals.&#8221;
Mullin then redirected the conversation to arrest and deportation data.
&#8220;Our arrests are up, we&#8217;re hitting single-day records every single day, but what we’ve done is I’ve turned down the temperature of the stove to try to get it correct without boiling over,&#8221; he said.
The decision to pause vehicle stops followed two recent fatal shootings of migrants by ICE officers trying to pull over vehicles in Houston and Biddeford, Maine. In the Houston case, ICE said Mexican illegal immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo &#8220;attempted to evade arrest&#8221; and &#8220;rammed&#8221; an ICE vehicle before he &#8220;weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense.&#8221;
In the Biddeford shooting, which occurred last week, an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian man who “attempted to flee the scene” of a traffic stop, the agency said.
The morning after vehicle stops were paused, Trump posted on Truth Social that he opposed the change and viewed it as capitulating to criminals and anti-ICE Democrats.
“The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted,” the president said. “Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
“The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” he said. “Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.”
ICE sources also questioned whether Mullin informed Trump before enacting the pause.
“Not sure how they don’t consult Trump about this before they send out guidance to every field office,” one agency source said.
White House border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday credited Mullin with deciding to cease the tactic, emphasizing that it was a &#8220;temporary&#8221; measure, not &#8220;a policy change.&#8221;
ICE officers across the country received orders to resume vehicle stops on Thursday, with some new changes, including a requirement that at least one agent on the team have a body camera, sources said. There is concern within ICE that not all officers have received body cameras, making it impossible to resume traffic stops in some parts of the country.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the concerns during her Thursday briefing, saying all ICE body cameras will be distributed within the next 60 days.
“It’s been a slower rollout than we would have hoped, but that’s because [of] the Democrats’ decision to shut down DHS for several weeks. So, we expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon,” she said.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin Discuses Trump Administration’s Efforts To Secure Elections

Mullin Won’t Say Whether He Briefed Trump Before Pausing ICE Traffic Stops

Houston

Maine

Politics

Texas

After a brief halt on traffic stops, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers received a directive Thursday to resume them, but with new restrictions in place.
Sources familiar with the new orders told The Daily Wire that teams making traffic stops must have at least one officer with a body camera, a teammate with specialized prosecutions training, and an &#8220;operational&#8221; justification for the stop. The short suspension on traffic stops came just one day after the latest fatal ICE-involved shooting of a Colombian migrant driver in Maine on Monday.
The order also followed an ICE-involved shooting just days earlier in Houston, where an officer conducting a traffic stop fatally shot a Mexican illegal immigrant.
While vehicle stops are back on, the new restrictions still make it difficult for officers to make arrests since ICE hasn&#8217;t distributed body cameras yet to all its officers after receiving funding from Congress.
&#8220;Basically, it boils down to unless someone has a body-worn camera, no vehicle stops can be made. Since the majority of officers do not have body worn cameras, hardly any stops will be made,&#8221; said one agency source.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed concerns that the agency has been slow to distribute body cameras to agents since the officers involved in the latest shootings didn&#8217;t appear to be wearing them.
&#8220;With respect to body cameras, I know there’s been some questions about that in recent days. Over half of all ICE field offices now do have body cameras and the remainder of the field offices are expected within 60 days,&#8221; Leavitt told reporters.
&#8220;It’s been a slower rollout than we would have hoped, but that’s because [of] the Democrats&#8217; decision to shut down DHS for several weeks. So, we expect to fully execute on the promise of body cams to all field offices across the country very soon,&#8221; she said.
When the pause began, ICE sources fumed that it would restrict their ability to make arrests.
“Numbers are going down, we can’t do sh*t,” one source said.
By Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he wanted the suspension to end, saying the change would play into the hands of criminals and Democrats.
“The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted,” the president said. “Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
“The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job,” he said. “Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-was-caught-off-guard-by-dhs-move-to-halt-ice-vehicle-stops-3ede393e">reportedly made</a> the decision to pause the stops without consulting the president, which angered Trump.
This is a breaking news story that will be further updated with more information.

US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-ICE

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Traffic Stops Are Back, But There Are Some Big Changes

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and far-Left Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) exchanged heated words Thursday over immigration policies and child separation.
The DHS chief was on Capitol Hill to testify in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
During the hearing, DeLauro blew up at Mullin, accusing his agency of separating thousands of children from their parents. 
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“3,900 children were separated from their families,” DeLauro said. 
“450,000 kids were lost during the Biden administration, and you didn’t say a word about it,” Mullin fired back. 
DeLauro, who represents New Haven, Connecticut, erupted and started wagging her finger at the Homeland Security chief. 
“Mr. Secretary! Do not interrupt,” DeLauro said, raising her voice in front of the cameras.
“Don’t you point your finger at me,” Mullin replied. “Don’t be a hypocrite.” 
“I will point my finger at you,” DeLauro interjected, before asking the chairman to put Mullin “in his place.” 
“You should be as upset about the 450,000 kids that were lost. You didn’t say a word about it. For four years, you never said a word,” Mullin exclaimed. 
“You should be put in your place,” he added. 
The heated confrontation follows a renewed spotlight on President Trump’s immigration and deportation agenda. 
Earlier Thursday, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority handed the Trump administration two major immigration victories, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ms-now-hits-the-panic-button-over-trump-supreme-court-wins?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=MS+NOW+Hits+The+Panic+Button+Over+Trump+Supreme+Court+Wins">sparking widespread leftist meltdowns.</a> 
In a <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5_86qd.pdf">6-3 ruling</a>, the court held that the Trump administration can move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitian immigrants and 6,000 Syrians currently living in the United States. In a different <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5_86qd.pdf">6-3 ruling</a>, the court upheld the federal government’s authority to turn away asylum seekers at ports of entry through a policy known as “metering,” rejecting arguments that federal law requires officials to process every migrant who arrives at the border seeking asylum.
Following the high court’s ruling, officials announced that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-alligator-alcatraz-as-desantis-says-it-fulfilled-its-mission?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Inside+%E2%80%98Alligator+Alcatraz%E2%80%99+As+DeSantis+Says+It+Fulfilled+Its+Mission">Alligator Alcatraz</a>, the detention facility in Florida’s remote Everglades, is shutting down. 
In a press conference with White House Border Czar Tom Homan, DeSantis said the detention space, which was used to deport roughly 21,000 people, was no longer necessary. 
“I said from the beginning that this was an emergency solution that would be temporary, that once DHS had the wherewithal to be able to handle these illegal aliens, particularly the criminal illegal aliens, that they would be able to do so, and we would still help,” DeSantis said. “In terms of us managing this facility, the minute that’s no longer needed, then we obviously would break down the facility.&#8221;

Senate Holds Confirmation Hearing For DHS Secretary Nominee Markwayne Mullin

The Finger Point That Set Mullin Off

Congress

News

A Biden-appointed judge blocked federal immigration agents from arresting targets at immigration courts — as ICE sources warn that the order could lead to more arrest activity.
Judge P. Casey Pitts of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.453807/gov.uscourts.cand.453807.205.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> Tuesday after the Trump administration ramped up courthouse arrests through its mass deportation effort. Pitts labeled the policy as “arbitrary and capricious,” saying the administration &#8220;failed to provide reasoned explanations for their actions.&#8221;
“It is now clear that the lack of connection between ICE’s stated rationales for the 2025 courthouse-arrest policies and the expansion of arrests at immigration courthouses results not from merely unreasoned decisionmaking but a complete lack of decisionmaking,” Pitts wrote.
&#8220;ICE is not arresting individuals who appear for criminal or civil violations ‘unrelated’ to the arrest but instead arresting noncitizens based on the very immigration offenses for which the noncitizens are appearing in immigration court,&#8221; he added.
While Pitts argued that &#8220;it is far from obvious that vacating the courthouse-arrest policies will significantly hinder ICE’s operations,&#8221; sources told The Daily Wire that the statement may be far from the reality.
Sources within ICE said that when officers can&#8217;t nab targets at immigration courts, they are forced to hit the streets in greater numbers resulting in more arrests. One also noted that the change could expose officers and the public to more risks.
&#8220;This will once again put at risk the community because officers won&#8217;t be able to make arrests in a safe location where the people attending court are screened for weapons and other items that can cause bodily harm. Also, it will once more put officers out in the field, increasing the chance of collateral arrests instead of only the target being apprehended,&#8221; an ICE source said.
Another agency source said they have plenty of &#8220;at large targets,&#8221; adding that the court arrest tactic was an effective tool when it started, but that word got out eventually and &#8220;people started to miss their appearances.&#8221;
The Trump administration&#8217;s use of the tactic led protesters and Democratic lawmakers to show up at immigration courts across the country in attempts to block the arrests.
Former ICE New York Field Office Deputy Director Scott Mechkowski echoed that courthouses, like local jails, &#8220;are the single safest place to take a removable alien into custody.&#8221;
&#8220;The realistic alternative is not &#8216;no arrest,&#8217; it’s an armed team going into a neighborhood, a workplace, or a home to find that same person at large,&#8221; he said.
The ruling also struck down a Trump-era policy that allowed ICE officers to hold detainees in temporary detention rooms for up to 72 hours or more, exceeding the 12-hour holding limit, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/ice-arrests-immigration-courts-california.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the New York Times.
Homeland Security Counsel James Percival condemned Pitts&#8217; order as &#8220;naked judicial activism in service of an anti-American, open borders agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;When a judge sentences a defendant, the defendant is taken into custody. If an alien is ordered removed by an immigration judge, the same should happen,&#8221; Percival <a href="https://x.com/DHSGenCounsel/status/2069551898231730568">wrote</a> on X.

ICE Detains Immigrants Inside New York City Courthouses

A Federal Judge Stopped ICE From Making Arrests At Immigration Courts. Here’s Why That Could Backfire.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

America is staring down its most dangerous terror threat in history — and Democrats just made the feds&#8217; job a whole lot harder.
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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin dropped a jaw-dropper Sunday, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi13krdjRTw">telling</a> Fox News host Shannon Bream that the terrorism threat level is &#8220;the highest it&#8217;s ever been&#8221; — even as Congress let a critical surveillance tool quietly die on the vine last week.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which lets the CIA, NSA, and FBI monitor foreign terror suspects overseas without a warrant, lapsed Friday after 19 Republicans and virtually every Democrat voted to kill a temporary extension. The Senate tried its own fixes, which also failed.
The timing couldn&#8217;t be worse.
&#8220;When I say we arrest terrorists every single week, I&#8217;m not exaggerating,&#8221; Mullin told Bream. &#8220;Those aren&#8217;t the individuals that are coming across our border. Those are individuals that are still inside this country.&#8221;
Inside the country — and now, with 702 gone, the feds have to wade through bureaucratic red tape to track them. What used to take hours may now take days.
That&#8217;s while 78 World Cup matches unfold across 11 American cities over 38 days — essentially 78 consecutive Super Bowls, as Mullin noted — alongside the America 250 anniversary celebrations happening nationwide. &#8220;Not all have the resources,&#8221; Mullin warned, noting that local law enforcement is already being asked to carry a heavier load.
So why did Democrats <a href="https://www.ntd.com/terrorism-threat-level-highest-its-ever-been-amid-fisa-lapse-dhs-secretary_1152375.html?utm_source=ntdmorning&amp;src_src=ntddailynoe&amp;utm_campaign=ntd-2026-06-15&amp;src_cmp=ntd-2026-06-15&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;est=3CUiWf%2BCwKZEF20dd7EP2enuMb0208NPJQpcdRbbOFUBQf2A6reG2vd1EYwucRCMokKagzvt">torpedo the extension</a>? One reason was that they didn&#8217;t like who Trump tapped as Acting Director of National Intelligence. Bill Pulte — head of a federal housing agency — was appointed as a placeholder after Tulsi Gabbard stepped down to care for her husband, who has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. Democrats declared Pulte a &#8220;nonstarter&#8221; and let the spy authority expire as their countermove.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said flatly: &#8220;Pulte has to go.&#8221; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) accused Trump of tossing &#8220;a hand grenade&#8221; into the negotiations.
Mullin wasn&#8217;t buying the outrage.
&#8220;When we really want to talk about the Democrats&#8217; credibility on keeping America safe, come on, let&#8217;s laugh,&#8221; he fired back.
&#8220;They had zero credibility. They&#8217;re more interested in protecting criminals and illegals on our streets than law-abiding citizens,&#8221; Mullin added.
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have already warned the administration to brace for &#8220;a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection.&#8221; Trump has nominated Jay Clayton — former SEC chairman and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — as permanent DNI head, but that confirmation fight is still to come.
Meanwhile, the terrorists that Mullin says the feds are arresting every week aren&#8217;t waiting around for Congress to get its act together.
Highest threat level ever. Biggest public events in a generation. And the Democrats just switched off the surveillance light.
Sleep tight.
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President Trump Signs The Secure America Act

Mullin: Terror Threat ‘Highest It’s Ever Been’ As Dems Pull The Plug On Spy Powers

Democrats

FISA

Terrorism

Trump Administration

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday laid out a timeline for the completion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall. 
In a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Mullin said DHS is on track to have a primary border wall stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of America completed by &#8220;this time next year.&#8221;
“On the border wall, first of all, we are on track to have the primary wall done, completed from the Pacific to the Gulf of America this time next year. We&#8217;ll have all contracts out by the end of this month. And we&#8217;re having great progress,” Mullin said. 
WATCH FROM TODAY’S EPISODE OF MORNING WIRE:
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Mullin stressed that cartels have learned how to breach and cut sections of the border wall, forcing the need for a secondary barrier to reinforce the primary wall and deter illegal crossings. 
“So we&#8217;re putting 150 foot some places, sometimes smaller than that, for a secondary wall that they got to go over, plus a smart wall, which will tell us approximately how many people are there. If they&#8217;re carrying a pack, they&#8217;re not carrying a pack,” he added. “The smart wall is pretty, pretty impressive. We can put a drone in the sky to immediately keep eyes on them.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on the border wall:
&#8220;We are on track to have the primary wall done from the Pacific to the Gulf of America this time next year. This is the primary wall. We also have to push out a secondary wall because the cartels and criminals have been going in… <a href="https://t.co/6Htgq31HI4">pic.twitter.com/6Htgq31HI4</a>
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://x.com/TPostMillennial/status/2062207689321574719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
Mullin predicted the agency should complete the second wall barrier by the summer of 2028. During the Biden administration, Border Patrol agents saw a daily average of 5,110 illegal migrants cross the border, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-closed-the-border-in-2025">The Daily Wire previously reported.</a>
Under President Trump’s second term, illegal border crossings have fallen to historic lows, and the GOP-led &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; unlocked funding for enhanced border security reinforcements.  
The routine hearing on Capitol Hill turned contentious when a Michigan Democratic congressman asked Mullin about the &#8220;great replacement theory.&#8221;  
&#8220;When will you stop DHS from using its social media accounts to spread bigoted and racist words and imagery, promoting great replacement theory?&#8221; Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) asked Mullin. 
&#8220;It&#8217;s interesting how you make those claims and give no facts, but yet your party&#8217;s the one that&#8217;s supporting the guy that&#8217;s got a Nazi tattoo on his chest in Maine,” the DHS chief replied. 
“I have the facts,” Thanedar insisted. 
“There [are] no facts. You throw out nationalism and Nazism, and that&#8217;s exactly what causes the hatred and violence that happens to our officers every single day, and you should be ashamed of using that,” Mullin fired back. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin TORCHES Democrat Rep. Shri Thanedar for slandering law enforcement officers.
MULLIN: &#8220;Your party is the one supporting a guy with a Nazi tattoo.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/7HdvZwbyyM">pic.twitter.com/7HdvZwbyyM</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2062204919415767226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2026</a></blockquote>

Security measures increased at the Border Wall in Ciudad Juarez

New Timeline Set For Coast-To-Coast Border Wall

Border Wall

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration is drafting plans to stop processing foreign travelers at airports located in sanctuary cities, but the possible change has some former officials questioning the political implications.
Mullin revealed on “Hannity” Tuesday night that officials are “currently drawing up plans” to pull Customs officers from international airports in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts amid escalating anti-ICE protests outside a facility in Newark, New Jersey.
He then doubled down Thursday, telling Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that while his department won&#8217;t &#8220;halt&#8221; international flights, it will pull Customs officers away from processing those passengers as they attempt to enter the United States.
&#8220;When we have situations like what&#8217;s happening in New Jersey right now, when we have to prioritize where we put federal employees because local law enforcement won&#8217;t help protect their streets &#8230; and keep them from barricading and causing harm to our employees, then we have to decide where we&#8217;re going to prioritize our federal employees,&#8221; Mullin said.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re saying is we just won&#8217;t be able to process them because we don&#8217;t have officers there,&#8221; he added.
The idea immediately sparked concerns from former Homeland Security officials, who questioned the political fallout and consequences of such a move ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the United States is set to co-host.
Former Homeland Security advisor Charles Marino said that while there&#8217;s a need for &#8220;consequences for sanctuary cities, there&#8217;s no way this would be allowed to happen with the World Cup coming up.&#8221;
&#8220;The political pressure on the admin from FIFA, the international community, stadiums, local governments, and businesses would be immense. It also undercuts President Trump, who routinely takes credit for bringing the World Cup to the U.S. To do this now is all risk and no reward,&#8221; he said.
Trump&#8217;s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also appeared skeptical of the proposal.
“We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,&#8221; Duffy said during a Congressional hearing last week.
Another former Homeland Security official, who was granted anonymity to speak more freely on the issue, said the Trump administration is trying to play &#8220;hardball,&#8221; adding that it&#8217;s &#8220;the federal government&#8217;s right&#8221; to carry out such a plan. The official, however, warned that &#8220;it is only going to piss off the unaffiliated voters and at the end of the day will not change sanctuary jurisdictions.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats will still vote for sanctuary,&#8221; the former official said.
Former ICE New York field office deputy director Scott Mechkowski said that Trump&#8217;s base will likely support that move, but that Mullin will need to focus his messaging to present it to the general public as a last-ditch effort to force cooperation from sanctuary cities.
Mechkowski said Mullin has to &#8220;frame&#8221; the initiative as &#8220;an extreme measure.&#8221; He pointed to the Trump administration&#8217;s attempts to &#8220;withhold&#8221; federal funds from sanctuary cities, an effort that has been repeatedly blocked by court orders.
It would also have &#8220;devastating effects,&#8221; spelling financial trouble for sanctuary cities, which he expects would cave easily to meet the Trump administration&#8217;s demands as a result.
&#8220;I think they need to realize that [Mullin] means business,&#8221; Mechkowski said.
Mullin first mentioned the proposal in April, presenting it as a tactic to force sanctuary cities to play ball with federal immigration agents.
“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful,” Mullin told Fox News’ Bret Baier at the time. “I don’t think they’re able to do that, and so we’re gonna take a hard look at this.”
“If they’re sanctuary cities, should they really be processing Customs into their city?” Mullin asked. “If they’re a sanctuary city and they’re receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport they’re not gonna enforce immigration policy, maybe we need to have a really hard look at that because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us.”

Newark Liberty International Airport

Mullin’s Proposal To Pull Customs From Airports Gets Mixed Reviews

Airports

Sanctuary Cities

Transportation

Travel

World Cup

President Donald Trump&#8217;s Border Patrol chief announced his immediate resignation Thursday, multiple agency sources told The Daily Wire.
Mike Banks confirmed his exit from the agency to Fox News, but didn&#8217;t offer a clear reason for his departure.
&#8220;It&#8217;s just time,&#8221; Banks told the news outlet.
&#8220;I feel like I got the ship back on course from the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Time to pass the reins, 37 years, it&#8217;s time to enjoy the family and life.&#8221;
Banks, who previously served as the Texas &#8220;border czar,&#8221; led the agency through record low illegal border crossings.
In a <a href="https://x.com/AliBradleyTV/status/2054963177574584661" target="_blank" rel="noopener">message</a> to agents Thursday, Banks celebrated the Trump administration&#8217;s accomplishments of securing the border.
&#8220;It was never a goal of mine to become the Chief of the United States Border Patrol but given the opportunity I would do it again 100 times over. What we have accomplished together in the last year and a half is nothing short of amazing,&#8221; Banks said.
&#8220;You, the men and women of the Border Patrol took the United States border from the most chaotic and unsecured border in the history of this great Nation and have delivered the most secure border this country has ever seen. Let me be clear there&#8217;s still lots of work to be done to achieve complete operational control of the Border, but I know we are closer than we have ever been to achieving that goal,&#8221; he added.
Multiple Border Patrol sources said they didn&#8217;t see Banks&#8217; exit coming.
One source said that they were &#8220;caught off guard&#8221; by the news of his departure.
Banks was previously accused of making regular trips abroad to have sex with prostitutes and bragging about it to colleagues, the Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/4509505/border-patrol-chief-michael-banks-prostitution-allegations-by-agents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in April.
The National Border Patrol Council, the agency&#8217;s union, confirmed that “an allegation was made, was investigated, and the subject was cleared of any misconduct, and yes, he is now in charge of 20,000+ USBP employees,&#8221; according to the Washington Examiner.
Paul Perez, the union&#8217;s president, said Banks had “held senior-level managers accountable, where previous chiefs did not, thereby creating a long list of enemies with an axe to grind.&#8221;
“That someone would anonymously dredge up some unfounded allegation as a means to smear Banks today shows how desperate they are to prevent him from holding people accountable for doing their jobs,” Perez said.
Banks&#8217; departure also comes less than two months after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin assumed leadership of the department, which oversees Border Patrol.
Mullin assumed the role after Trump demoted Kristi Noem, who was embroiled in multiple scandals.
During her time as secretary, Noem deployed then-Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino to lead aggressive immigration sweeps across the country, making him the face of the mass deportation campaign.
Following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal immigration authorities, Trump put border czar Tom Homan at the helm of the operations, replacing Bovino, who eventually retired.
Banks first joined Border Patrol in 2000 after serving ten years in the U.S. Navy.
He said he now plans to &#8220;return home to Texas to focus on my family and ranch.&#8221;

DHS Secretary Noem Holds Roundtable Discussion With Texas Ranchers And CBP Personnel In Brownsville, Texas

Trump’s Border Patrol Chief Abruptly Resigns

Border Patrol

After Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer disparaged ICE and Border Patrol, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin didn’t just push back; he lit a match and scorched Schumer’s credibility on national television.
“It makes my ears red,” a visibly incensed Mullin fired back following Schumer’s claim that Border Patrol and ICE are agencies &#8220;nobody respects.&#8221; Mullin continued his blistering counter-attack: “It takes a lot to get me upset. But Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying scumbag politician, that is you; you would be the definition if you Googled you right now.”
Mullin’s righteous indignation comes after Schumer has <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/news/press-releases/leader-schumer-floor-remarks-ahead-of-voting-against-the-dhs-funding-bill-instead-urging-republicans-to-work-with-democrats-to-rein-in-ice">suggested</a> ICE could become a “rogue&#8221; force. The DHS Secretary was quick to point out the staggering hypocrisy of a man whom he said enjoys 24/7 taxpayer-funded security while simultaneously working to defund the men and women protecting the rest of the country. “How about he walks around these city streets without a detail? I wonder how safe he would feel,” Mullin challenged.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin TEARS into Chuck Schumer after the Senate minority leader said NO ONE respects ICE and Border Patrol:
CHUCK SCHUMER: &quot;Two groups&#8230; Border Patrol and ICE&#8230; that nobody respects in this country.&quot;
MARKWAYNE MULLIN: &quot;Chuck Schumer, no one respects you.… <a href="https://t.co/TyuXjqOrdx">pic.twitter.com/TyuXjqOrdx</a>
&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/2047315286139768913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The verbal fireworks exploded just as the Senate GOP moved to bypass Democratic obstruction through budget reconciliation. Early Thursday, in a 50-48 vote, Republicans advanced a plan to dedicate roughly $70 billion to ICE and Border Patrol — a move necessitated by Schumer’s refusal to fund the agencies through traditional means. When California Democrat Senator Adam Schiff <a href="https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-in-new-report-sen-schiff-exposes-over-140-million-dedicated-to-ice-and-cbps-deadly-arsenal-of-weapons-and-munitions-since/">attacked</a> “multi-million-dollar surge in spending and contracts to amass deadly weapons and ammunition since the start of the second Trump administration,” in February, the DHS press office <a href="https://thelalocal.org/immigration/ice-and-border-patrol-weapons-spending-exploded-in-2025-says-new-report/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20law%20enforcement%20agency%20purchasing,in%20an%20email%20to%20LAist.">responded</a>, “A law enforcement agency purchasing law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources — really riveting reporting.”
For Mullin, the issue isn&#8217;t just about the budget resolution — it’s about the safety of American streets. He noted that Schumer had years during the Biden administration to address the border, but instead chose to let &#8220;criminals run amok.&#8221; Now, as the Trump administration moves to arm 12,000 new agents to restore order, the Democrats are resorting to name-calling and fear-mongering.
As the budget battle moves to the House, the lines are drawn. On one side stands Schumer, decrying &#8220;lawlessness&#8221; while opposing the very funding needed to end it; on the other stands Mullin and a GOP majority finally willing to give federal agents the tools they need to do their jobs. As Mullin made clear, if Schumer wants to find the source of the &#8220;chaos&#8221; he claims to despise, he doesn&#8217;t need an oversight report — he just needs a mirror.

MixCollage-23-Apr-2026-11-05-AM-4121

‘Lying Scumbag’: Mullin Eviscerates Schumer After He Says ‘Nobody Respects’ ICE, Border Patrol

Chuck Schumer

Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will run out of emergency cash by May, and said that Democrats must either agree to fund the department or explain why they want &#8220;open borders.&#8221;
President Donald Trump earlier approved emergency funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay Homeland Security personnel. More than two months into the DHS shutdown, that money is nearly gone.
&#8220;But that money is dried up if I continue down this path the first week of May,&#8221; Mullin said on Fox &amp; Friends Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
MULLIN says DHS will run out of emergency cash to pay his workforce at the end of April
&#8220;There&#8217;s no more money.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KYdXI8Algt">pic.twitter.com/KYdXI8Algt</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2046583932825612546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DHS is shelling out more than $1.6 billion to pay its workforce every two weeks, the new secretary said, adding, &#8220;so the money is going extremely fast.&#8221;
&#8220;After we get through April, which I got two more weeks,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got one payroll left, and there is no emergency funds, so the president can&#8217;t do another executive order for us to use money because there&#8217;s no more money there.&#8221;
Roughly two-thirds of DHS employees are furloughed, according to Mullin.
The Senate is expected to vote as early as this week on a budget blueprint for a reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach a final agreement on a long-term funding solution.
&#8220;What the Democrats need to do is explain to the American people why they want open borders and why they don&#8217;t want to deport these illegals that are truly running our cities and running our streets. And at some point, they need to be held accountable because they&#8217;re putting the homeland at risk &#8230; because our adversaries are taking advantage of the weakness,&#8221; he said.
Senate Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), are pushing for a funding package that would extend ICE and CBP funding into the next decade, while also including defense spending, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5835883-reconciliation-dhs-fisa-warsh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Hill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has advocated for a &#8220;skinny&#8221; funding package that is more likely to pass both chambers, the outlet reported.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has advocated for a &#8220;tight&#8221; bill, according to The Hill.
“Why are we trying to make this more difficult? In fact, if you’ve got a really great set of ideas, then convince Sen. Graham to create another reconciliation vehicle, and we can do it after we dispense with the matter at hand,” he said.

Untitled design – 2026-04-21T094902.185

‘We’ve Got One Payroll Left’: DHS Cash Crisis Is Closer Than You Think

Government Shutdown

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