DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Faces Backlash Over Controversial Immigration Speech

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is getting backlash from a lot of conservatives over questionable comments on his immigration stance.

On Saturday, Mullin spoke at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City.

During his speech, Mullin made several remarks that are proving quite controversial online.

In one viral clip, Mullin appears to suggest granting amnesty to illegal aliens who work in certain industries.

Watch this:

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “If we're looking to grow our economy, we need more permanent solutions on [work visas for foreigners]… Because this narrative that it steals American jobs is true in some industries, it's not true for all industries… It is America. We want to… pic.twitter.com/rvq2JyyyUK

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) August 2, 2026

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “If we’re looking to grow our economy, we need more permanent solutions on [work visas for foreigners]… Because this narrative that it steals American jobs is true in some industries, it’s not true for all industries… It is America. We want to take care of Americans first. It’s our economy, it’s our homeland, but there’s a way to utilize labor where we’re not having the participation rate we need to, and we can plug those holes.”

To summarize, Mullin wants to allow foreigners to stay here more PERMANENTLY to STEAL American jobs as cheap labor. It’s happening in LITERALLY every SINGLE industry.

In another clip, Mullin encourages illegal aliens who are here under TPS should to pursue alternative routes to remain in the United States:

🚨 INFURIATING: Markwayne Mullin is ONCE AGAIN encouraging illegal Haitians and aliens with Temporary Protected Status to seek PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS

This guy is a JOKE

Make them apply for legal status back in their HOME COUNTRY. NOT while they’re here. pic.twitter.com/KAnUN7mNNv

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 2, 2026

During the speech, Mullin presented so-called “sanctuary cities” with a deal: he will not send in ICE on the streets if they just hand over the “worst of the worst.”

Sounds a lot like compromise, doesn’t it?

Watch that clip here:

DHS Sec. Mullin to sanctuary cities: "I'm not handling things like the past secretary had. Let's work to get the worst of the worst off the streets. And then you won't see me in your cities as much. In fact, you probably won't even see us at all." pic.twitter.com/e29uMq2uhy

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 1, 2026

Mullin also boasted about 900,000 naturalizations of foreigners within the last year:

PATHETIC: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin proudly TOUTS daily naturalization ceremonies under the Trump administration — with more than 900,000 foreigners naturalized in the last 12 months.

“We have naturalization ceremonies every single day in the United States… In fact, we’re… pic.twitter.com/FuSLqjEf8Q

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) August 2, 2026

PATHETIC: DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin proudly TOUTS daily naturalization ceremonies under the Trump administration — with more than 900,000 foreigners naturalized in the last 12 months.

“We have naturalization ceremonies every single day in the United States… In fact, we’re real close to 900K individuals that have been naturalized in the last 12 months. There is a legal system to go through.”

“Is immigration reform possible? No. Do you really need immigration reform? Yes, you do.”

This is the LAST thing America needs right now!

Hours after giving that controversial speech, Mullin clarified that he does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants in a post on X:

NO amnesty for illegal aliens. Ever. We are a nation of laws. If you are illegally present in the United States of America— you will be detained and deported. Period.

— Secretary Markwayne Mullin (@SecMullinDHS) August 2, 2026

However, that post isn’t doing much to soothe folks’ concerns.

Former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino issued this rebuke:

Wow, Mullin delivered a masterclass in how to give terrible answers during a single interview.

Listen as he politely explains why your safety comes second to his lobbyists.

This is the man running DHS.

Now you know why we’re not getting mass deportations… https://t.co/YIGNMA7vMh

— Gregory K Bovino (@GregoryKBovino) August 2, 2026

Mullin is getting a lot of criticism from other patriots on X, as well.

Take a look at some of these responses:

If you truly mean that, I’d probably refrain from signaling to illegals that ICE “won’t be seen” in their cities as long as the “worst of the worst” are turned over pic.twitter.com/zhBd4zx9Zb

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 2, 2026

Why were you at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting *today* saying the exact opposite of what you are posting now? Did you suddenly radically change your mind about America’s immigration policy in the past couple of hours? Or are you a liar? pic.twitter.com/iZw34WUuvr https://t.co/uwk9xIyeWO

— Kevin Bass (@kevinnbass) August 2, 2026

I gotta be honest Mark…

I’m not seeing mass deportations and the words you say online and the things you say publicly OFTEN contradict.

I thought we were getting them all out? Not just the worst of the worst… everyone.

If we are NOT deporting EVERYONE, isn’t that amnesty?

— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) August 2, 2026

There’s no evidence that 99% of illegals will ever be deported under your leadership.

— Tom Hennessy (@Tomhennessey69) August 2, 2026

Bro, if this is where you stand, you need to stop doing interviews that sound like you’re saying something different.

— Eldrode (@Eldrode) August 2, 2026

Don’t get me wrong: some of the comments that Markwayne Mullin made are troubling…

But, it’s not enough to judge how well Markwayne Mullin is doing as DHS Secretary based on a few comments alone.

It’s much fairer to assess the job he is doing based on results.

Grok provided some helpful statistics on deportation numbers since Mullin stepped into the role, so you can take a look and judge for yourself:

Markwayne Mullin became DHS Secretary on March 24, 2026 (after confirmation on March 23), succeeding Kristi Noem. As of early August 2026, that is roughly 4–4.5 months. Detailed monthly breakdowns specifically isolating the post-March 24 period are limited because official ICE data releases have been inconsistent or delayed, but available CBP statistics, ICE figures, DHS statements, and independent reporting provide a clear picture of trends.

Border encounters / apprehensions (Southwest border, US Border Patrol)

These have remained at multi-decade lows overall under the Trump administration, with zero releases into the US interior for many consecutive months (13+ by mid-June 2026, continuing thereafter).
dhs.gov

Monthly Southwest Border Patrol apprehensions (approximate from CBP data):

Jan 2026: ~6,078

Feb 2026: ~6,599

Mar 2026: ~8,269

Apr 2026: ~8,964

May 2026: ~10,006 (or ~9,998 per DHS)

Jun 2026: ~9,848

Daily averages in this range are roughly 200–320, about 94% below the Biden-era monthly average and far below peaks of tens of thousands per day. Fiscal year 2026 (starting Oct 2025) totals through May/June remained historically low compared with prior decades. Slight upticks occurred in spring/summer but stayed very low by historical standards. Zero catch-and-release has been the consistent policy.

Deportations / removals and related enforcement

ICE removals (deportations): FY 2025 total was about 320,000. In FY 2026 (Oct 2025 onward), ICE reported ~234,200 by early April and 356,389 by mid-July. This puts the agency on pace to substantially exceed the prior year (and potentially set high marks). Mullin stated in mid-July that formal (non-self) deportations reached ~403,000 so far in calendar 2026, with the year tracking well ahead of 2025’s full total.

Broader administration claims (from Jan 2025 onward, including pre-Mullin): Hundreds of thousands of formal removals (figures cited around 590k–950k depending on the cutoff and source) plus large estimated self-deportations (often ~2.2 million claimed in the first year+), for totals sometimes framed as ~3 million people leaving. Independent analyses and trackers put formal interior + border removals lower than the highest administration aggregates but still elevated versus recent pre-2025 levels.

Arrests: Interior ICE arrests have been high and rising in periods under Mullin. June 2026 saw a reported monthly high of ~43,138 (around 1,300–1,400+/day), with early July daily rates climbing further (e.g., ~1,500+). Focus has been emphasized on those with criminal convictions/charges (DHS claims often ~60–70% of recent arrests/detainees). Detention population has hovered in the 60,000–70,000 range.

Mullin’s tenure has been described as continuing the high-enforcement approach but with a lower public profile (fewer high-visibility operations in cities) compared with parts of Noem’s period, while still emphasizing criminal noncitizens and overall removals.