U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has vowed that deportations will continue, even as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress following their victories in the 2026 midterm elections.
“Deportations would continue,” Mullin wrote on X on Wednesday, delivering a firm message as the Trump administration faces renewed scrutiny over its immigration policies.
Many Democrats who won seats in the midterms campaigned on promises to challenge President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda and the administration’s mass deportation operations. Some have even called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
With Democrats preparing to use their new congressional majority to scrutinize federal immigration enforcement, administration officials have begun defending their policies. Mullin has been among the most vocal defenders of ICE.
Mullin Pushes Back Against Criticism of ICE
On Election Day, Mullin appeared on Fox News to respond to criticism from Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had warned that ICE officers could intimidate voters at polling places.
Mullin rejected the suggestion that immigration agents would be deployed at voting locations.
“Absolutely not,” he said, adding that ICE agents would not be present at polling places unless there was a specific threat.
He also criticized Clinton’s comments and questioned why she was still politically relevant.
“If you’re an American citizen, which, by the way, American citizens — legal to vote, should be the only ones at the polling place because they’re the only ones that should be picking our leaders,” Mullin said.
Ahead of the election, state election officials and voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the administration from deploying federal agents to polling locations.
Ultimately, ICE officers did not patrol polling places, while more than 124 million Americans turned out to vote.
However, the Justice Department deployed approximately 1,000 federal election monitors to observe voting procedures across all 50 states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by saying his state had deployed its own monitors to observe the federal officials. In a post on X, Newsom said California would “hold the line against Trump’s goons.”
Democrats Prepare Congressional Oversight
With Democrats set to take control of Congress, Trump could face greater resistance to his legislative agenda and increased scrutiny of his administration’s policies.
Following the Republican losses, Trump indicated that he was open to working with Democrats on immigration.
“We can work with them on immigration, I think,” the president told Fox News late Tuesday.
Democratic lawmakers, however, have signaled that they intend to pursue oversight hearings involving senior administration officials, including Mullin.
“@SecMullinDHS clear your calendar,” Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote on X on Tuesday, as projections indicated that their party would take control of the House.
The expected hearings could put the administration’s deportation policies, ICE operations and treatment of migrants under renewed congressional scrutiny.
Immigration Emerges as a Key Election Issue
Immigration was one of the major issues in the 2026 midterm campaign, with Democrats making opposition to the administration’s enforcement approach a central part of their message.
A New York Times and Siena poll conducted ahead of the election found that 52 percent of voters preferred the Democrats’ approach to immigration, compared with 45 percent who favored the Republican position.
The results point to the political significance of immigration policy as the Trump administration enters a new period of divided government.
Although Democrats will have greater power to investigate and challenge federal agencies, Mullin’s statement indicates that the administration does not intend to abandon its deportation strategy.
