Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is scrambling to contain political fallout after briefly suspending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic stops in the wake of two ICE-involved shootings in Maine and Texas, a move that infuriated President Donald Trump and energized critics on the right.
As reported by The Gateway Pundit, Trump exploded after learning that ICE agents had been ordered to halt vehicle stops involving illegal aliens, a core enforcement tool in the administrations effort to restore law and order at the border. According to multiple reports, the directive originated with Mullin and was implemented without first briefing the President, raising immediate questions about who is actually driving immigration policy inside the Department of Homeland Security.
According to far-left CNN, Neither Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin nor Homan alerted Trump to the pause on traffic stops before imposing it, according to two people familiar with the chain of events. That revelation only deepened concerns among Trump supporters that unelected bureaucrats and risk-averse political appointees were capitulating to radical left activists and corporate media pressure rather than executing the Presidents agenda.
President Trump is reportedly furious that his own administration briefly bowed to progressive demands to scale back deportation efforts, particularly after years of chaos unleashed by the Biden-era open-borders regime. In a sharply worded Truth Social post, Trump made clear that surrendering ICE traffic stops would play right into the hands of criminal illegal aliens and would not be tolerated under his leadership.
Trump wrote: The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done. CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that havent been seen in decades. The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted. 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! He continued, Once we do, we are playing right into the criminals hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it wont happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair, and smart, and go back and do your very important job.
Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America. Shortly after that public rebuke, the White House confirmed that Trump had officially overturned the suspension and reinstated ICE traffic stops, reasserting direct presidential control over immigration enforcement policy.
Facing a growing backlash from the MAGA base and law-and-order conservatives, Mullin moved quickly to align himself with Trumps message and to reassure supporters that he was not retreating from aggressive enforcement. He reposted the Presidents Truth Social statement on X and then issued his own explanation, attempting to frame his actions as focused on officer safety rather than political appeasement.
Our #1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets. Illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are. If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW. As our officers carry out operations to enforce our nations laws, they are facing a more than 1,300% increase in vehicle attacks. Mullin added a warning to those attempting to evade arrest, stating, We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous. This reckless illegal alien activity comes after sanctuary politicians held webinars and shared resources for how to openly defy @ICEgov:
He then highlighted how prominent Democrats have actively encouraged resistance to federal immigration enforcement, underscoring the ideological divide over border security. ??Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a webinar providing tips for illegal aliens to evade arrests at homes, workplaces, or in public.
??Dan Goldman posted a video online calling on illegal aliens to make a plan for ICE encounters. ??Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued multilingual flyers and online resources advising illegal aliens on how to evade arrest.
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??California Governor Gavin Newsom released guides and sanctuary laws advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest. By pointing to these sanctuary-style efforts, Mullin appeared to be arguing that ICE faces not only physical danger but also organized political obstruction from the left.
In a second post, Mullin tried to dispel any impression that he was in conflict with the President or softening the administrations stance on deportations. President Trump and I are on the same page. We want our ICE officers to have all options available to keep them safe while executing our mission of deporting as many illegal alien criminals from our country as possible.
His damage-control effort followed a wave of criticism from within the MAGA movement, where many saw the temporary halt to traffic stops as a dangerous concession that undermined one of ICEs most effective enforcement tactics. For conservatives who have long argued that sovereignty, border security, and the rule of law are non-negotiable, the episode served as a reminder that even within a Republican administration, constant vigilance is required to prevent the lefts anti-enforcement agenda from seeping into federal policy.
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