DHS boss reveals Oval Office plan to 'withhold funding' from sanctuary cities after aggressive New York bust
DHS Secretary Mullin Says White House Is Exploring Ways to Withhold Funding From Sanctuary Cities
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Tuesday that the White House is considering legal mechanisms to cut federal money from cities and states that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement. The comments, made during an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” followed a recent mass‑arrest operation in New York that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dubbed “Rotten Apple.”
Mullin told host Laura Ingraham, “Literally 20 minutes ago, I was sitting in the Oval Office of the president, and we were having this conversation about how do we withhold funding legally from these sanctuary cities.” He added that the administration is looking for ways to “hold federal funding from these sanctuary cities that are refusing to just simply do one thing: uphold the law of the land.” The secretary said the conversation took place “in the Oval Office” and that President Trump was actively involved.
The operation in New York, which the DHS says resulted in more than 2,100 arrests, targeted people accused of a range of serious offenses, including murder, rape, child sexual abuse, and drug trafficking. “We’ll keep deportations going no matter what the local sanctuary policies are,” Mullin said. “We’re not picking and choosing which laws to enforce.”
The department’s statement on September 1 noted that one of the individuals detained was a Ukrainian national convicted of kidnapping, abduction resulting in death, possession of a weapon, and murder. Another suspect, a Colombian citizen, had previously been arrested for sexual conduct with a minor and for “acting in a manner to injure a child under 17.”
Mullin framed the discussion of funding as an enforcement issue. “Why are we allowing these sanctuary cities to still get funding from the federal government when it comes to, let’s say, their airport, when we’re processing immigration through these international airports? It doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said. He emphasized that the federal government must enforce the laws that Congress has passed, regardless of local policy positions.
The White House’s policy on sanctuary jurisdictions has long been a point of contention. In 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to withhold funding from cities and states that did not comply with immigration enforcement. The Trump administration’s approach has since been refined and contested by state and local governments.
Mullin’s remarks come as the Biden administration has continued to enforce immigration laws, while also negotiating with localities over the allocation of federal resources. The DHS has announced a series of “deportation operations” in major urban centers since the start of President Trump’s second term, citing the need to uphold federal immigration statutes.
“Congress and these other liberal politicians, these sanctuary cities and sanctuary states are the ones that are griping the loudest about the work that my Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are doing every day,” Mullin said. “But I enforce the laws that Congress passed.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet detailed specific legal strategies for withholding funds, nor has the White House released a formal policy statement. The discussion of funding cuts, however, signals a continued focus on enforcement and a pushback against local jurisdictions that the federal government views as obstructing immigration law.
The next steps will likely involve coordination with Congress and the Treasury Department to determine how federal appropriations could be adjusted under existing law. The policy will be closely watched by state and city officials, as well as by advocates for both immigration enforcement and local control over immigration matters.