Staff Reports
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told Breitbart in an exclusive interview that deportations in 2026 are “way up” and on track to outpace last year’s totals within weeks. That is the news, plain and simple. His claim lines up with independent trackers that show removals rising — but it also brings the usual mess of counting rules and political spin that critics love to chew on.
Numbers: What Mullin Said and What the Data Show
Mullin said DHS is on pace this year to “well past what we did in ’25,” and predicted the 2026 total would surpass all of 2025 within about six weeks at current rates. The concrete baseline to judge that against is ICE’s FY2025 removal count of roughly 442,637. Independent analysts and USAFacts put FY2026 on a path toward roughly 460,000–470,000 removals if the current pace holds. So yes — the secretary’s claim is plausible. It’s not bravado; it’s a numbers game that looks real if you use ICE’s enforcement removals as the yardstick.
How DHS Says It’s Getting Results
Mullin credits the rise to focused interior enforcement. DHS agents are targeting people with final removal orders, criminal records, and recent releases from prison. He described raids that catch one target and often turn up multiple other illegal occupants in the same home. That tack — go after the worst offenders and push local cooperation like 287(g) — will naturally boost formal arrests and removals. It’s straightforward: enforce the law, and you remove fugitives and criminals from the streets.
Don’t Let the Big Numbers Fool You
Now for the wonky part critics will scream about: “deportation” isn’t a single, clean metric. DHS sometimes mixes formal removals with voluntary departures, expulsions, and other returns to produce larger headlines. Analysts warn to stick with ICE ERO removal tallies when you mean formal removals. That caveat doesn’t erase the trend. It just reminds reporters and the public to compare apples to apples, not to whatever fruit salad a press release happens to serve.
Bottom Line: Enforcement Is Working — And Will Stay in the Spotlight
At the 100‑day mark, Mullin is selling a simple message: enforce the law, focus on criminals and people with final orders, and deportations go up. Conservatives who want secure borders and safer streets should celebrate results, not excuses. Opponents will nitpick definitions, but the public cares about fewer violent criminals on the loose, not spreadsheet arguments. Keep an eye on the ICE and DHS monthly tables to watch if the pace holds. If it does, Mullin gets to claim real results — and his critics will have to find a new talking point.
