Mullin says deportations will continue after ICE reportedly paused raids on Election Day

A day after voters gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin posted a three-word message on social media on Wednesday, Nov. 4: "Deportations will continue." ³⁴

The post came as two news outlets reported that officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been quietly told to stand down or ease up on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. ¹² Taken together, the reports suggest the administration pulled back on the day of the vote and then promised to resume once the ballots were in.

On tapePBS NewsHour · Nov 3

▶0:54

Deportations will continue

What officers say they were told

The Intercept reported on Nov. 4 that orders to halt enforcement went out inside ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division, the part of the agency that makes arrests and carries out deportations. The orders were passed along through group chats and spoken instructions, not official email. Officials in four ICE regions said they were told to stand down. ¹

"We were told all operations are canceled for Election Day," an ICE official in the South told the outlet, speaking anonymously. An official in the Great Lakes region called the day "National No Enforcement Day." Deportation officers who normally work on the street were reportedly moved to office duties. ¹

From Channel GOPThompson: Trump's DHS hid ICE killing of citizenBennie Thompson · 159 plays · captioned, with the source named

The Daily Wire, a conservative news site, separately reported that three anonymous ICE sources said some officers were verbally told to take a lighter approach. They were to pick up only people being transferred from local jails, and they were to halt vehicle stops. ² One source said the goal was to avoid giving "the left any reason or idea that we're interfering somehow or intimidating people on Election Day." ²

It is not clear where the orders came from. Some officials believe they came from ICE leadership rather than the White House. ¹

Trackers saw an unusually quiet day

Volunteer groups that track ICE sightings, using reports sent in by the public, said Tuesday stood out. Sherman Austin, who created the StopICE.net tracker, said there was no typical early-morning spike in activity. ¹

Yesterday was the least amount of activity observed from ICE ERO throughout the entire year so far,

Another tracking network, AntiFreeze, logged about 56 sightings nationwide, one of the quietest Tuesdays it had seen. About three sightings reported ICE activity near polling stations, and most reports were observations of vehicles. ¹ These counts come only from what people report, and the officials who described the orders spoke anonymously. Neither outlet published an official confirmation of the orders. ¹²

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, told The Daily Wire that the department "enforces the laws of the nation across the country … every single day," adding "this includes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and yes, Election Day." The spokesperson listed five people with criminal records whom ICE arrested that day. ² Mullin told reporters that ICE was not sent to guard the polls, but in September he said that "if we're serving a warrant we will be where we need to be." ²

The numbers behind the promise

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, counts about 980,000 deportations from Jan. 20, 2025, through July 31, 2026. It projects about 660,000 deportations for the federal budget year that ended Sept. 30, 2026. ³

About 80 percent of the people deported in that period had no criminal conviction. For people who had lived in the U.S. for at least two years, the share was 71 percent. ³ The White House says more than 605,000 people have been deported under the second Trump administration and that another 1.9 million have left on their own. ⁴

That matters because the five arrests DHS highlighted on Election Day, all involving violent or sexual offenses, are not typical of who is being removed, according to the institute's figures. ²³

What Democrats can and cannot do

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, is in line to chair it when Democrats take over in January. ⁵ He is seeking the post and has said he would use it to require Trump administration officials to testify. ⁴

We will investigate the administration weaponizing DHS against Americans, its out of control immigration policies

Thompson said Democrats would also examine the department's dealings with contractors. ⁵ After the election, Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois posted a message aimed at Mullin, White House aide Stephen Miller and others involved in immigration enforcement. ⁵ She plans a major DHS overhaul bill next year and has proposed replacing U.S. immigration agencies with community-centered departments. ⁴⁵

Clear your schedule.

Their power has limits. The Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave ICE large funding increases that will keep it funded through the rest of President Trump's term. Any attempt to take that money back would likely face a veto. ⁶ Subpoenas, which are legal orders to testify or hand over records, are Democrats' main tool. But the White House could slow-walk investigations, defy subpoenas or claim executive privilege. ⁶

Scripps News reported that the GEO Group, which owns the most ICE detention centers, spent more than $7 million to support Republicans in the election. A company called Acquisition Logistics holds a deal worth more than $1 billion to run the Camp East Montana detention center in Texas, where three detainees have died. ⁶ DHS accused Democrats of "political shenanigans," and its general counsel, James Percival, said the department was prepared for the investigations. ⁶

The pattern is clear: an agency that, according to its own officers, eased off on the day voters weighed in is now promising to press ahead. In January, Democrats will be able to compel testimony under oath about how those decisions were made. ¹⁴⁵

The Record

1. Jul 31, 2026The Migration Policy Institute counts about 980,000 deportations since Jan. 20, 2025, about 80 percent of them people with no criminal conviction ³
2. Sep 30, 2026The federal budget year ends; the institute projects about 660,000 deportations for the year ³
3. Nov 3, 2026On Election Day, ICE officers in four regions say they were told to stand down or limit arrests to people being transferred from jails ¹²
4. Nov 4, 2026Mullin posts "Deportations will continue"; Thompson pledges to investigate DHS's immigration policies ³⁵

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<h2>Mullin says deportations will continue after ICE reportedly paused raids on Election Day</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mullin-says-deportations-will-continue-after-ice-reportedly-paused-raids-on-election">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 5, 2026.</em></p> <p>A day after voters gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin posted a three-word message on social media on Wednesday, Nov. 4: &quot;Deportations will continue.&quot;</p> <p>The post came as two news outlets reported that officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been quietly told to stand down or ease up on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Taken together, the reports suggest the administration pulled back on the day of the vote and then promised to resume once the ballots were in.</p> <blockquote><p>Deportations will continue</p><p>&mdash; Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security, Republican</p></blockquote> <h2>What officers say they were told</h2> <p>The Intercept reported on Nov. 4 that orders to halt enforcement went out inside ICE&#39;s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, the part of the agency that makes arrests and carries out deportations. The orders were passed along through group chats and spoken instructions, not official email. Officials in four ICE regions said they were told to stand down.</p> <p>&quot;We were told all operations are canceled for Election Day,&quot; an ICE official in the South told the outlet, speaking anonymously. An official in the Great Lakes region called the day &quot;National No Enforcement Day.&quot; Deportation officers who normally work on the street were reportedly moved to office duties.</p> <p>The Daily Wire, a conservative news site, separately reported that three anonymous ICE sources said some officers were verbally told to take a lighter approach. They were to pick up only people being transferred from local jails, and they were to halt vehicle stops. One source said the goal was to avoid giving &quot;the left any reason or idea that we&#39;re interfering somehow or intimidating people on Election Day.&quot;</p> <p>It is not clear where the orders came from. Some officials believe they came from ICE leadership rather than the White House.</p> <h2>Trackers saw an unusually quiet day</h2> <p>Volunteer groups that track ICE sightings, using reports sent in by the public, said Tuesday stood out. Sherman Austin, who created the StopICE.net tracker, said there was no typical early-morning spike in activity.</p> <blockquote><p>Yesterday was the least amount of activity observed from ICE ERO throughout the entire year so far,</p><p>&mdash; Sherman Austin, creator of the StopICE.net tracker</p></blockquote> <p>Another tracking network, AntiFreeze, logged about 56 sightings nationwide, one of the quietest Tuesdays it had seen. About three sightings reported ICE activity near polling stations, and most reports were observations of vehicles. These counts come only from what people report, and the officials who described the orders spoke anonymously. Neither outlet published an official confirmation of the orders.</p> <p>A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, told The Daily Wire that the department &quot;enforces the laws of the nation across the country … every single day,&quot; adding &quot;this includes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and yes, Election Day.&quot; The spokesperson listed five people with criminal records whom ICE arrested that day. Mullin told reporters that ICE was not sent to guard the polls, but in September he said that &quot;if we&#39;re serving a warrant we will be where we need to be.&quot;</p> <h2>The numbers behind the promise</h2> <p>The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, counts about 980,000 deportations from Jan. 20, 2025, through July 31, 2026. It projects about 660,000 deportations for the federal budget year that ended Sept. 30, 2026.</p> <p>About 80 percent of the people deported in that period had no criminal conviction. For people who had lived in the U.S. for at least two years, the share was 71 percent. The White House says more than 605,000 people have been deported under the second Trump administration and that another 1.9 million have left on their own.</p> <p>That matters because the five arrests DHS highlighted on Election Day, all involving violent or sexual offenses, are not typical of who is being removed, according to the institute&#39;s figures.</p> <h2>What Democrats can and cannot do</h2> <p>Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, is in line to chair it when Democrats take over in January. He is seeking the post and has said he would use it to require Trump administration officials to testify.</p> <blockquote><p>We will investigate the administration weaponizing DHS against Americans, its out of control immigration policies</p><p>&mdash; Bennie Thompson, ranking Democrat, House Homeland Security Committee, D-Miss.</p></blockquote> <p>Thompson said Democrats would also examine the department&#39;s dealings with contractors. After the election, Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois posted a message aimed at Mullin, White House aide Stephen Miller and others involved in immigration enforcement. She plans a major DHS overhaul bill next year and has proposed replacing U.S. immigration agencies with community-centered departments.</p> <blockquote><p>Clear your schedule.</p><p>&mdash; Delia Ramirez, U.S. representative, D-Ill.</p></blockquote> <p>Their power has limits. The Republicans&#39; One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave ICE large funding increases that will keep it funded through the rest of President Trump&#39;s term. Any attempt to take that money back would likely face a veto. Subpoenas, which are legal orders to testify or hand over records, are Democrats&#39; main tool. But the White House could slow-walk investigations, defy subpoenas or claim executive privilege.</p> <p>Scripps News reported that the GEO Group, which owns the most ICE detention centers, spent more than $7 million to support Republicans in the election. A company called Acquisition Logistics holds a deal worth more than $1 billion to run the Camp East Montana detention center in Texas, where three detainees have died. DHS accused Democrats of &quot;political shenanigans,&quot; and its general counsel, James Percival, said the department was prepared for the investigations.</p> <p>The pattern is clear: an agency that, according to its own officers, eased off on the day voters weighed in is now promising to press ahead. In January, Democrats will be able to compel testimony under oath about how those decisions were made.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mullin-says-deportations-will-continue-after-ice-reportedly-paused-raids-on-election">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/mullin-says-deportations-will-continue-after-ice-reportedly-paused-raids-on-election.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Intercept, “ICE Was Secretly Ordered to Stop All Immigration Raids on Election Day” (2026-11-04). theintercept.com/2026/11/04/ice-orders-stop-election-day/
2. The Daily Wire, “EXCLUSIVE: ICE Officers Told To Take Softer Approach On Election Day, Sources Say” (2026-11-04). dailywire.com/news/exclusive-ice-officers-told-to-take-softe
3. The Rio Times, “US Says Deportations Will Continue” (2026-11-05). riotimesonline.com/us-says-deportations-will-continue-after-
4. Just The News, “Mullin vows 'deportations will continue' after Republicans lose midterm elections” (2026-11-04). justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/mullin-vows-depo
5. Nextgov/FCW, “Democrats' midterm sweep puts CISA cuts, intelligence disputes under scrutiny” (2026-11-04). nextgov.com/policy/2026/11/democrats-midterm-sweep-puts-cisa
6. Scripps News, “Can Democrats deliver on a promise to rein in ICE?” (2026-11-04). scrippsnews.com/investigations/ice-inc/can-democrats-deliver

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