Trump Sets Record Straight on Viral Report ICE No Longer Deporting Unless They're 'Criminal Aliens'

Kyle Becker
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9:35 AM on September 27, 2026



AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

The Trump administration is firing back at a viral report by the Daily Wire that ICE would be standing down on deportations of illegal aliens.

The Daily Wire's Jennie Taer reported in a "scoop" that ICE officers were told they would not be arresting illegal aliens that were not "criminals" with additional offenses besides illegally entering the country.

Jennie Taer
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SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWireNow, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources.The change also ends

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dailywire.com
EXCLUSIVE: ICE Officers Say They Were Told To Stop Arresting Non-Criminals
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers across the country were told this weekend to cease arrests of all non-criminals, agency sources tell The Daily Wire.Federal immigration agents may...

9:22 PM · Sep 26, 2026

"SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire," Taer reported.

"Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources," she continued. "The change also ends so-called 'collateral arrests,' sources said, meaning officers who find a criminal target alongside others in the country illegally may detain only the target."

The Daily Wire cited sources and published quotes on the condition of anonymity. The publication said that "several ICE officers expressed frustration with the seemingly sudden change, and one suggested it may be an attempt to gain public favor before the midterms."

“We believe it has something to do with the midterms coming up,” one source said. “They’re trying to calm things down before the elections.”

“We’ll see the arrest numbers go down,” another source added.

The Department of Homeland Security flatly called this "false."

Homeland Security
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This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path. Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported.

In an effort to protect American citizens, ICE has initiated a nationwide public safety surge

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Jennie Taer
@JennieSTaer

SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire

Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources.

The change also ends

11:50 PM · Sep 26, 2026

"This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path," DHS posted on X.

"Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported. In an effort to protect American citizens, ICE has initiated a nationwide public safety surge in sanctuary cities where our brave officers will be targeting criminal illegal aliens—many released from jails by sanctuary politicians—including murderers, rapists, child predators, and gang members."

However, there are conflicting reports that such a memo did indeed go out.

Homeland Security
·
Sep 26, 2026

@DHSgov·
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This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path.

Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported.

In an effort to protect American citizens, ICE has initiated a nationwide public safety surge

Jennie Taer
@JennieSTaer

SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire

Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources.

The change also ends

Katie Daviscourt



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Then why were multiple ICE offices across the nation given this information last night and this morning?

11:54 PM · Sep 26, 2026

"Then why were multiple ICE offices across the nation given this information last night and this morning?" the Post Millennial's investigative reporter Katie Daviscourt asked.
Fox News' Bill Melugin provided clarity on the guidance that went out and current ICE policy.

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I’ve spoken on the phone with President Trump and nine ICE & DHS sources about this today. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Yes, this verbal guidance did go out to ICE offices across the country last night. I’ve spoken with ICE agents who received it & were shocked & frustrated by it.

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Jennie Taer
@JennieSTaer

SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources.

The change also ends

12:01 AM · Sep 27, 2026

"I’ve spoken on the phone with President Trump and nine ICE & DHS sources about this today," Melugin said. "Here’s what I’ve learned."

"Yes, this verbal guidance did go out to ICE offices across the country last night," Melugin reported.

"I’ve spoken with ICE agents who received it & were shocked & frustrated by it. It’s unclear who it started with. However, I’m told it’s erroneous, was some type of 'miscommunication' during conversations about prioritizing 'worst first', and there is no change in immigration enforcement policy."

"President Trump tells me anyone in the country illegally remains 'on the table' for ICE arrest & deportation," he continued. "I’m also told new guidance went out to ICE field offices tonight to reaffirm this and that yes, arrests of illegal aliens and 'collaterals' without additional criminal history will continue. ICE sources confirm to me they received the new guidance."

"I’m not really sure what happened here - but everyone is on the same page, including President Trump, in telling me that his immigration enforcement agenda isn’t scaling back," he concluded.

Whether or not this was an "op" to demoralize Republican voters ahead of the midterms, as some armchair pundits on X have claimed, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is under scrutiny for several announcements that have drawn the ire of conservatives.

On Friday, Mullin made an announcement that ICE would not be conducting raids on worksites in Kansas.

Secretary Markwayne Mullin



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ICE is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas. ICE law enforcement has conducted operations targeting heinous criminals including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers and illegal aliens with final orders of removal. Some of the worst arrested by ICE in Kansas include:

KSN News Wichita
@KSNNews

Some businesses in southwest Kansas are shutting their doors temporarily this week as federal immigration agents make arrests.

MORE: https://ksn.com/news/state-regional/...ness-closures/


5:32 PM · Sep 25, 2026

"ICE is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas," he said. "ICE law enforcement has conducted operations targeting heinous criminals including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers and illegal aliens with final orders of removal."

So, regardless of any campaign season attempt to divide the Republican base and to drive down voter enthusiasm over one of Trump's popular policies among conservatives, illegal alien deportations, the messaging from the top tier of DHS has left something to be desired among that core constituency.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has faced repeated questions about his handling of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including from immigration hardliners who argue that he has been too willing to retreat from aggressive enforcement.

Those tensions intensified after the White House withdrew Lance Schroyer, Mullin’s choice to lead ICE, according to the New York Times. An ICE source also questioned whether President Trump had been informed before agency leadership moved to halt certain non-criminal arrests.

It was not the first time Trump and his DHS leadership appeared to be out of sync on enforcement. In July, Mullin temporarily restricted ICE vehicle stops following fatal encounters involving ICE officers in Houston and Biddeford, Maine.

The decision triggered an immediate backlash from immigration hardliners and prominent Trump supporters. Trump quickly intervened, publicly ordering ICE to resume the stops and declaring that the agency could not surrender one of its “most important and effective” enforcement tools.

The episodes have contributed to a broader revolt against Mullin among some of the administration’s immigration hawks. Critics including Steve Bannon, Laura Loomer, Robby Starbuck and former Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino have accused Mullin of taking an overly conciliatory approach, particularly after he discussed expanding some employment-based visa programs to address labor shortages.

Mullin responded by insisting there would be “NO amnesty for illegal aliens” and that people illegally present in the country would be detained and deported.

The White House has publicly rejected suggestions that Mullin has lost Trump’s confidence, while DHS has pointed to sharply increased arrests, detention and deportations as evidence that the administration’s enforcement agenda remains intact.

But the repeated disputes have raised a larger question about who is setting enforcement policy inside DHS and whether decisions to pull back certain ICE operations are being made with Trump’s knowledge. As one ICE source put it after the latest controversy: “I hope Trump finds out about this sh*t and puts an end to it.”

https://redstate.com/kyle-becker/202...liens-n2207432