Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers this week, saying the agency has been unfairly "demonized" as morale inside ICE continues to decline amid growing scrutiny over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations.
Speaking during a Police Week event honoring fallen law enforcement officers, Mullin described ICE as an agency thrust into the political spotlight during President Donald Trump's second term.
"For some reason, ICE has been demonized," Mullin said. "I know morale has taken an absolute tank. And I hate it."
Mullin argued that most Americans previously knew little about ICE before immigration enforcement became one of the administration's central political issues. "All they knew that you guys might exist, but they really didn't know because you wasn't on the TV all the time," he told officers.
The DHS secretary also invoked his Christian faith while addressing agents directly, quoting the Bible verse: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Mullin added: "If any agency needs to hear that, it's ICE. No matter what the media wants to say, I know you're doing your job every day."
His remarks come as the administration intensifies deportation operations nationwide while simultaneously attempting to reshape ICE's public image after months of controversy surrounding enforcement raids, detention policies and high-profile incidents involving federal agents.
Mullin recently claimed assaults against ICE officers had increased by more than 1,300%, while praising the agency's 22,000 personnel for continuing to "put the American people first."
The debate over immigration enforcement has also expanded into preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Last week, Mullin warned that a prolonged federal funding lapse had disrupted Homeland Security planning for the tournament.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union, have issued advisories warning foreign visitors about potential immigration enforcement and civil liberties concerns during the event.
The comments also come during a leadership transition inside ICE as DHS confirmed that veteran immigration official David Venturella will take over as acting ICE director following the departure of Todd Lyons later this month. Venturella, who previously worked at ICE under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, also spent time working for a private prison company operating immigration detention facilities.
Mullin praised Lyons for helping "jumpstart an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years," adding that his leadership had made "American communities safer."
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