OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- At the annual National Governors Association meeting held last weekend, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin urged state leaders to have their states and cities cooperate with federal immigration officials, noting that this would make the operations safer and lead to lower-profile arrests and deportations, States Newsroom reported.
Speaking to a bipartisan group of governors, Mullin said federal authorities are encouraging local governments to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) focus on the “worst of the worst” offenders, specifically illegal aliens who have criminal court convictions.
Mullin took the stage with outgoing chair of the association, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), and asked states to cooperate with immigration detainers. Mullin took the reins of DHS after former Secretary Kristi Noem was fired by President Trump during contentious ICE operations, which included the killings of two Minneapolis protesters who were impeding ICE operations and who were threatening ICE agents, in one case driving a car toward an agent in an apparent attempt to run him down.
ICE detainers are lodged to seek state and/or city cooperation with ICE to hold on to illegal alien criminals after they have served their time in jail or when they are released on bail.
“That shouldn’t be controversial,” Mullin 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 [generally] been convicted of a crime.”
One point that the administration has been trying to make is that if illegal alien criminals are taken into ICE custody under controlled settings, such as at jails, courthouses, and police stations, there is a lesser chance of the types of incidents that occurred in Minneapolis and other cities. That is a point that Mullin tried to drive home, noting that it is much more dangerous to apprehend illegals in public after they are released.
“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.”
Mullin noted the recent success enjoyed by ICE during the World Cup where law enforcement agencies in some jurisdictions cooperated with immigration authorities, which he said ensured not only the safety of locals and visitors, but provided “meaningful” prevention of human trafficking and enabled the confiscation of counterfeit goods.
“We can’t do it without you guys,” he added. "I’m saying we can work together.”
Mullin highlighted cooperation in Oklahoma, where 67 of the state’s 77 counties are cooperating with the federal government to remove illegals before they are released from jails and prisons.
"It’s not on the news,” he said. “You don’t see us around because the state is doing most of the work.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who leads a state that has not cooperated with ICE and who is taking over leadership of the Governors' Association from Stitt, credited Mullin for opening the lines of communication with states since he took the reins of DHS.
“There is an absolute difference in what we have seen from the start of the administration to now,” Moore said.
One area of concern for Moore, however, is the status of federal security grants, which states use to combat terrorism, provide federal training, and boost cybersecurity efforts.
Mullin said cooperation from local governments is an important component of whether such grants are provided to states.
“The whole point of the grants is so we can have partnerships,” Mullin said. “...This has nothing to do with picking winners and losers or saying ‘I choose Oklahoma over California’...this has to do with it is designed by nature to build a partnership.”
According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), at least 15 states, including Maryland, are identified as sanctuary states. CIS advocates for lower levels of immigration.
Not all were happy with Mullin’s comments at the meeting, including Steve Bannon, who used to be an avid MAGA guy but whose support for the president has waned due to a disagreement over the administration’s alleged ties to Israel.
Bannon alleged that Mullin is “too lax” on deportations in light of comments he made about legal steps migrants can take to gain legal status. It was unclear if Mullin was referring to illegal aliens who crossed the border, or those who are in the country on work or student visas.
Mullin said naturalization ceremonies happen often and noted that 900,000 people became U.S. citizens in the past year.
That said, Mullin emphasized that federal officials have zero tolerance for illegals or naturalized foreigners with criminal convictions or those who have not pursued legal means to remain in the U.S.
Since Mullin took over DHS, ICE has recorded a record number of immigration arrests, reaching 1,593 per day in early July. In June, ICE and its federal partners recorded 43,000 arrests, the highest number ever made during the Trump administration, ICE statistics showed.
“There’s a legal system to go through,” he said. “But if you choose not to even begin or not change your status, if you’ve been here 25 years, I can’t help you.”
Comments