The Trump administration remains on track to deport more illegal immigrants by the end of August than all of last year, according to Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin.
“And it could be much, much sooner,” Mullin told News Nation in an interview published Tuesday, adding that over the last week alone, they are averaging 4,200 deportations a day.
Mullin said he recently met with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, along with some Border Patrol agents. He emphasized there have been 15 straight months of zero illegal aliens released into the country and historically low illegal crossings.
Mullin also addressed the recent pause on traffic stops as an immigration enforcement strategy, a move that was quickly reversed after President Donald Trump called for their resumption. Mullin said the administration never intended to permanently end the stops, but emphasized that they remain a measure of last resort.
“The president and I are always on the same page. We were never ending traffic stops. We were making it the last option, meaning that why would we allow [them] to wait for them to get in the vehicles, why don’t we get them before to get them in the vehicles? If our last option is to pull them over, we will,” Mullin said.
Mullin took over DHS in March 2026 after Trump removed Kristi Noem from the role amid reported concerns over her leadership. Two American citizens were killed in January 2026 during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January 2026 under Noem's tenure.
Mullin also discussed Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians after the Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration could end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians. The nation's highest court overturned decisions by federal judges in New York and Washington, D.C. that had halted the administration's actions terminating TPS for more than 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,100 from Syria.
“We’re going after them right now,” Mullin said. “We are giving them an opportunity to either leave on their own and we’ll help you, or we’ll arrest you and send you back. Either way, you don’t have status inside this country anymore.”
A TPS designation allows people already in the United States to remain in the country and work legally if their home countries are affected by natural disasters, armed conflict or other extraordinary conditions.