Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly rejected a campaign advertisement from Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) that criticized the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. Mullin said his department remains focused on catching and deporting individuals who entered the country illegally. He made the remarks Friday on CNN's "Inside Politics with Dana Bash."
Salazar's 30-second ad, released Thursday, argued that the administration's "immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far" and that Hispanic voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 now "feel betrayed today" by his hard-line stance on immigration.
The congresswoman cited Department of Homeland Security data showing 50 percent of the 50,000 individuals detained in July had no criminal convictions or pending charges. Mullin directly challenged the statistic, calling it "not true" or at least misrepresented. He argued that every detained person is a criminal "because they broke our nation's laws when they came across our borders illegally." He pressed: "What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept?"
The Secretary said DHS enforces the nation's laws without discretion. "We don't pick and choose," Mullin said, adding that Congress sets these laws and his department enforces them. Anyone who entered the country illegally "chose to become a criminal at that point," he said.
Mullin also said the department does not distinguish between types of criminal activity, emphasizing that "a criminal is a criminal," regardless of whether the individual is a sex offender or crossed the border illegally. He affirmed that this applies to those who broke the law "20 years ago, 30 years ago, or four years ago."
Salazar, a U.S. citizen born to Cuban parents, does not advocate for amnesty. She supports long-term illegal immigrants applying for legal status while backing tighter border security measures. Mullin countered that anyone who crossed the border illegally "should not be let off the hook."
Mullin characterized Salazar's ad as a political move, saying "A political campaign ad is a political campaign ad. I completely understand it." He added that such ads would not deter DHS personnel from performing their duties.
The response follows ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations executing the administration's mass deportation agenda. President Trump previously told CBS News's "60 Minutes" that ICE operations "haven't gone far enough."
Salazar is campaigning for her fourth term in Florida's 27th Congressional District. She won her primary easily last month and will face former CBS News Miami anchor Eliott Rodriguez in the general election. The district is red-leaning — Trump carried it by 14 percentage points in 2024.
