Mullin says deportations will continue in the U.S. even on holidays and election days

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced that deportations will continue after Tuesday's midterm elections, in which the Democratic Party regained control of Congress. "Deportations will continue," Mullin wrote Wednesday on his official X account, a day after the November 3 vote.

The secretary said agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) work 365 days a year, including holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and also on election days. The message came at a moment of uncertainty among immigrant communities, who were waiting to learn whether the election result would change the immigration policy of President Donald Trump's administration.

According to figures attributed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), deportations are approaching 1.2 million from January 2025 through October 2026, while arrests of immigrants without legal status exceed 1.25 million over the same period. An analysis by the Migration Policy Institute cited by U.S. media outlets estimates about 980,000 deportations between January 20, 2025 and July 31, 2026, and notes that 80% of the people removed through July had no criminal record or convictions.

Among recent operations is an ICE operation in Texas that, according to federal authorities, ended with more than 4,000 arrests in ten days. Democrats have said they are preparing investigations into ICE practices, but their new congressional majority will not take office until January 2027, so the election result does not suspend operations or immediately change current immigration laws.

No general amnesty has been announced either. On September 29, the Supreme Court temporarily allowed the government to resume deportations of certain people to countries other than their country of nationality, while the case continues in the courts.

Photo: Directorio Cubano

Source: Directorio Cubano