DHS chief fires back at Jayapal over claim majority of immigration arrests pose ‘no threat’

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pushed back on Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s, D-Wash., claim that the “majority of people” arrested by DHS pose “absolutely no threat to public safety.”

Mullin rejected Jayapal’s characterization on “Saturday in America,” saying DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remain committed to targeting high-risk individuals to keep American communities safe and arguing that crimes committed by illegal immigrants have led to tragedy.

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Jayapal, the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement and a vocal ICE critic, argued that immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has targeted immigrants without criminal convictions.

“For the first time this summer, the majority of people that DHS arrested were people who pose absolutely no threat to public safety, and the number of people with criminal convictions who are arrested by ICE actually decreased — decreased, not increased,” Jayapal said during a hearing last week.

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ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, marking the highest monthly total on record, according to DHS. The department also says ICE has deported more than 2,000 known or suspected terrorists since Trump took office.

“When you have a car accident, and you came… into this country legally, and the Democrats want to say, you’re not a criminal and you kill somebody. Yes, you were a criminal and now… you ruined somebody else’s life, and now you’re a murderer at the same time,” the DHS chief said.

“It’s political for them. They want to say this every day,” he added.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Jayapal’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Nora Moriarty is a Writer at Fox News Digital.

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