By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-27 17:36:50 | Updated at 2026-09-27 18:15:26
44 minutes ago
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on late Saturday denied reports that federal immigration officials were told to pull back on arresting illegal immigrants without prior criminal histories.
A report over the weekend from the Daily Wire, which cited anonymous sources, asserted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were told to stop arresting non-criminal illegal immigrants. That report also said that illegal immigrants with criminal records can be arrested, indicating that illegal immigrants without criminal records will not be detained.
In a statement published on X, DHS said the report “is false” and that “no one is off the table.”
“We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path,” the department said through its official account. “Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported.”
ICE also set up a “nationwide public safety surge in sanctuary cities” where agents will target criminal illegal immigrants, including “murderers, rapists, child predators, and gang members,” Homeland Security said.
The statement from DHS came after its secretary, Markwayne Mullin, said in a Sept. 25 post to confirm ICE is not carrying out enforcement operations at worksites in Kansas and said that criminals are the ones being targeted.
He was responding to a report from Wichita, Kansas-based KSN-TV saying that federal immigration agents were making arrests in the area, prompting some businesses to temporarily shut down. Restaurant, bar, and store owners confirmed to the outlet that they were forced to close or alter their operations due to the ICE measures.
At the same time, ranchers organizations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas released a joint statement on Sept. 24 that ongoing ICE operations may cause “sudden workforce disruptions” that are likely to “create immediate animal-welfare, operational, and economic consequences that extend well beyond an individual business.”
“These ICE operations are having a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving,” the statement said. “Additionally, these types of disruptions will lead to higher beef prices for consumers.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said in a statement last week he was concerned about the operation, urging the federal administration to coordinate with local authorities.
“Secretary Mullin assured me these warrants are only for the purpose of arresting individuals who have been charged with criminal activities,” Moran said in a statement on social media.
The comment from DHS also comes as ICE has intensified immigration enforcement operations and as lawmakers have been debating many of the agency’s tactics.
White House border czar Tom Homan said earlier this month that ICE arrests have increased in each of the last four consecutive months.
“ICE is making a record number of arrests,” Homan said. “June—record arrests. July beat June. August blew both those months out of the water. And September is looking pretty … good, too.”
Speaking to Jan Jekielek, senior editor for The Epoch Times, in an interview published on Sept. 26, Homan said ICE arrests will likely surpass the current figures. “I expect bigger numbers next year,” he said.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on Sunday.
