DHS leader warns that ‘deportations will continue’ despite disastrous midterms for Trump team

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned “deportations would continue” after the Republican Party lost control of Congress in a crushing midterm defeat. Many of the Democrats who just won midterms campaigned on the promise of going against President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies and aggressive mass deportations — with some even calling to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While Democrats look to use their new power in Congress to restrain ICE, Trump officials have been on the defensive, including Mullin, as he issued the ominous warning Wednesday that “Deportations would continue.” The veiled threat comes as Mullin has repeatedly challenged criticism of the agency. On Election Day, Mullin appeared on Fox News to fight back against criticism from Democrats, namely former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after she warned Americans on The View that ICE officers may try to intimidate voters at the polls. Mullin said agents would “absolutely not” be stationed at the polls before slamming Democrats’ apparent hysteria and questioning why Clinton “is still relevant.” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued a veiled threat about deportations after Republicans suffered a devastating loss during the midterm elections (Reuters)“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.He later asserted, “ICE agents aren’t going to be around polling places unless there’s a threat.” State election officials and voting rights groups filed a lawsuit ahead of Election Day to stop the administration from sending federal agents to the polls. In the end, immigration officers did not patrol the polls, and more than 124 million Americans showed up to vote.While there weren’t ICE agents at the polls, the Justice Department sent roughly 1,000 federal election monitors to observe the election stations in all 50 states. In response, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state deployed its own election monitors to watch the ones sent by the feds so they could “hold the line against Trump’s goons,” he wrote on X. Many Democrats campaigned this election cycle on restraining ICE after the agency carried out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push (AFP/Getty)With Democrats soon taking control of Congress, Trump may face challenges passing legislation. Still, the president seemed open to working with Democrats moving forward. “We can work with them on immigration, I think,” Trump told Fox News late Tuesday following sweeping GOP losses. Despite Trump’s enthusiasm, Democrats seemed less interested in collaborating and instead ready to call Trump administration officials in for congressional oversight hearings — including Mullin. “@SecMullinDHS clear your calendar,” the Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote on X Tuesday as it was predicted that Democrats would take control of the House. Ahead of the midterm elections, a New York Times and Siena poll found that 52 percent of voters backed Democrats’ handling of immigration over Republicans, compared to 45 percent who preferred the GOP’s policies.