Days before the midterm elections, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin traveled to Texas to tout the results of a statewide immigration enforcement operation during a press conference that at times took on a political tone.
Thursday’s press conference centered on Lone Star Mission, a 10-day federal immigration enforcement operation that’s separate from Gov. Greg Abbott’s years-long border security initiative known as Operation Lone Star.
But Mullin spent much of the press conference criticizing so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, where local policies can limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
He repeatedly contrasted President Donald Trump’s immigration policies with those of former President Joe Biden, at times blaming Biden administration policies for crime and public safety problems without providing evidence during the press conference to support those claims.
“When you support sanctuary policies, you’re supporting gang bangers, you’re supporting child pedophiles, you’re supporting rapists, you’re supporting cartels, you’re supporting organized crime,” Mullin said.
Mullin’s appearance comes as Trump and other administration officials have made a series of trips to Texas to rally Republican voters ahead of Election Day. Trump held rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock on Tuesday, while Vice President JD Vance appeared at a Republican rally in Weatherford on Thursday.
The increased attention on Texas comes as Republicans face unusually competitive statewide races. Recent polls have shown tight races for several statewide offices, including the U.S. Senate contest between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
Mullin said federal immigration authorities arrested 4,170 people during Lone Star Mission, which ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 29. About 60% of those arrested had criminal histories, he said, describing the remaining 40% as “collateral” arrests.
DHS officials did not provide a breakdown of the criminal histories of those arrested, and did not say how many had been convicted of violent crimes.
“They should never be in this country to begin with, regardless if it’s a violent crime or it’s petty theft,” Mullin said.
The operation comes as immigration enforcement in Texas has increasingly involved cooperation among federal, state and local authorities.
Abbott launched the state’s Operation Lone Star in 2021, initially deploying Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border. Abbott said the effort was necessary because the Biden administration wasn’t doing enough to secure the border.
Since Trump returned to office, Texas National Guard soldiers have been authorized to make immigration arrests under federal authority, while DPS and other state law enforcement agencies have worked alongside federal immigration officers.
Mullin’s visit comes as federal immigration officers in Texas face scrutiny over several recent use-of-force incidents.
In early July, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an undocumented Mexican national, while he was on his way to work at a construction site in north Houston. In late September, ICE officers shot and wounded undocumented Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Garces Perez in north Austin. Roughly 10 days later, an ICE agent driving an unmarked vehicle struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, an undocumented Mexican national, in Houston.
Federal authorities have said officers acted in response to threats or while the men were attempting to evade arrest in each of the encounters. Those accounts have been disputed by witnesses, attorneys or local officials involved in reviewing the incidents.
Abbott’s Operation Lone Star
Texas has spent roughly $11 billion in state funds on border security through Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The federal government has since approved $7.5 billion to reimburse Texas for border security costs through a fund created by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The state operation has faced criticism over its treatment of migrants and conditions for troops assigned to the mission. Texas Military Department officials disclosed in 2024 that 17 National Guard members had died while assigned to Operation Lone Star, including from suicide, an accidental shooting and a drowning while trying to rescue migrants.
That same year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas called for an end to the state operation, alleging racial profiling and unconstitutional policing. Its analysis found nearly 70% of court appearances tied to Operation Lone Star involved low-level offenses and more than 13,000 arrests occurred outside border counties.
Abbott has defended Operation Lone Star as necessary for border security, crediting the program with deterring illegal crossings and helping authorities arrest human smugglers and cartel members.
Houston Public Media’s Bianca Seward and KERA’s Dylan Duke contributed to this story.
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