- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused Democrats of using rhetoric to unfairly demonize Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Donald Trump's administration.
- Speaking in New York, Mullin stated that federal immigration agents would only be deployed to polling locations to address active threats or execute specific warrants.
- “ICE’s job is immigration custom enforcement,” Mullin said. “That’s their job. And so, if we’re doing something, we’re doing that specifically for immigration custom enforcement.”
- The agency’s operational conduct has faced intense national focus following two separate fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Renée Good, 37, was shot and killed inside her vehicle by an ICE agent on January 7, while Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was shot multiple times and killed weeks later on January 24 by Customs and Border Protection officers deployed alongside immigration enforcement teams.
- Critics and civil rights advocacy groups rejected Mullin's defense, arguing public backlash stems directly from ICE's operational practices rather than political rhetoric.
IN FULL
