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Immigration

Homeland Security chief says no amnesty in any immigration talks with Democrats

Markwayne Mullin says Trump told him to start working with Democrats, but they have not discussed policy changes and Congress would decide on DACA.

Markwayne Mullin in 2026
Markwayne Mullin in 2026. Photo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
24 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
Liberal7 outletslittle coverageCenter3 outletsMullin's red line on amnesty amid Trump's shiftConservative14 outletsMullin draws a no-amnesty line, hawks object
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Monday that he and President Donald Trump have not yet discussed any concrete immigration policy changes since the elections. He was speaking to reporters in Maryland, at a conference on counter-drone technology. Mullin said Democrats he worked with in have been calling him.

He passed that on to Trump, who replied that they should start working with them and meet at some point. Mullin was firm on amnesty. "We're never going to allow amnesty to happen," he said, adding that it is a "full stop."

On , which protects people brought to the US illegally as children, he said any path to legal permanent status would be up to Congress. The remarks follow Trump's "60 Minutes" interview, aired Sunday, in which he said his policy may have gone too far and that he is open to working with Democrats. Since the election, Trump has also named Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration crackdown, as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.

The Daily Wire reports Mullin said the approach to law enforcement is not going to change.

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24 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets

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Liberal7 outlets

Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.

Center3 outlets

Mullin's red line on amnesty amid Trump's shift

The Seattle Times, running an AP report, opens with Mullin saying he and Trump have not discussed concrete policy changes while Trump shifts his tone on deportations. It describes Mullin as a former senator and House member who is now Trump's Homeland Security secretary. It places the remarks against the midterms, which it says highlighted voters' disaffection with hard-line enforcement.

It notes that Trump has elevated Stephen Miller to chief of staff, which it says leaves open how working with Democrats would fit with strict enforcement. It adds that Mullin called Miller an "excellent choice" in a social media post. It quotes Mullin: "We haven't had any conversation just on policy."

It also quotes his "full stop" on amnesty and his view that a bipartisan approach is the only way to get anything done. It closes with his comments on DACA being up to Congress.

Conservative14 outlets

Mullin draws a no-amnesty line, hawks object

Fox News leads with Trump encouraging Mullin to work with Democrats but no amnesty, noting Mullin "reportedly" said so. It recalls a March DHS post saying DACA confers no legal status and calls Mullin's remarks his first public suggestion of a congressional path for DACA recipients. Fox also points readers to a story on House Republicans criticizing Miller's promotion.

The Daily Wire's headline says Mullin "reveals his red line" and quotes him saying the approach to law enforcement "isn't going to change." It lists immigration hawks who criticized Trump, among them consultant Ryan Gidursky, who said a bipartisan deal that scales back the deportation effort "will kill the party," and it quotes the White House Rapid Response account saying the word amnesty was never said. The Washington Times runs the same AP opening as the Seattle Times.

Money and daily life

Mullin said he and Trump have not discussed changing immigration enforcement policy, and the Daily Wire quotes him saying the approach to law enforcement "isn't going to change." For DACA recipients, people brought to the US illegally as children, he said any path to permanent legal status would be up to Congress. He ruled out amnesty.

All sources: 40 articles from 24 outlets

Liberal (8)

Center (5)

Conservative (27)

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  3. Democrats plan ICE probes as Homeland Security chief says deportations will continue
  4. Homeland Security chief says no amnesty in any immigration talks with DemocratsThis story
  5. Federal prosecutors in Washington state stop defending many immigrant detention challenges
DHS (Department of Homeland Security)

The federal ministry in charge of borders and immigration enforcement. ICE, CBP and USCIS belong to it, as do the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the disaster agency FEMA.

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Midterm elections

US elections halfway through a president's four-year term. The whole House, a third of the Senate and many governors are elected. In 2026 Election Day was November 3.

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Congress

The US parliament: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill becomes law when both pass it and the president signs it.

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DACA

A program since 2012 for people brought to the US as children without papers: it protects them from deportation and lets them work, renewed every two years. It gives no green card or citizenship.

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Deportation

Forced removal from the US of a person with no legal right to stay. An immigration court usually orders it, but some people are removed faster, without a hearing.

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