Markwayne Mullin, Local Leaders in Cincinnati Speak to 287g Program, Make Plea for Cooperation

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday appeared for a roundtable in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he met with local officials and addressed partnerships in Warren County under the 287g program.

Mullin touted the Trump administration’s commitment and success on the issue of crime and illegal immigration, comparing that to “just four years ago” under the Biden administration.

“The truth is, for too long we ignored a problem that was taking place, and the previous administration decided not to do anything about it. When you have open borders, you have you have criminals that are going to take advantage of that,” Mullin shared.

The secretary also said illegal immigrant crime is “preventable.”

“It’s frustrating to me because every single death that happens at the hand of an illegal is 100% preventable, because that person shouldn’t be here. It’s just that simple. They shouldn’t be on our streets,” he said.

Mullin also addressed how fighting crime shouldn’t be political.

“Fighting crime shouldn’t be a blue issue or a red issue,” he said, lamenting how “radical politicians” will “talk about defunding ICE and preventing our local law enforcement from being able to work and partner through the 287g program.”

The secretary also responded to claims that those who come to the country illegally have not actually broken a law or are not criminals.

“They chose to break the law when they decided to come across our border illegally. That means they broke the law; that means they are criminals. That doesn’t mean they all have criminal records. They chose to break our laws, and it is our job to hunt down every single one of them and send them back to where they came from,” Mullin said.

Warren County Sheriff Barry Riley, who has served since January 2025, explained that his county has been part of the 287g program since October 2025.

“If you are in this country illegally, I feel you should be sought out, detained, treated humanely, and processed according to the law,” he said, adding that he views working with federal partners as “a responsibility and a duty” according to the U.S. Constitution.

Republican Rep. Warren Davidson, who represents Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, noted that the secretary’s remarks were not “divisive” or “partisan” in Warren County, but that nearby Hamilton County has more liberal policies.

The secretary said sanctuary policies by counties matter because crime “doesn’t stay in that county” and “bleeds” elsewhere where “they have to deal with that issue.”

“Just because you’re a sanctuary city or sanctuary county doesn’t mean you’re doing any justice. You’re actually causing harm, and … you’re harboring and abating the criminals that are going just outside your area, too, and they’re flooding our streets,” Mullin said.

Matt Putra, removal operations director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, noted various ways local law enforcement can partner through the 287g program, including the “task force model,” in which officers are “conducting their normal police activities and have immigration authority to identify and apprehend anybody in violation of immigration law.”

Riley shared that Warren County uses that model, adding that he doesn’t want ICE to have to be there, since they “are needed elsewhere.”

Mullin added he would “love ICE to be a transport agency where we have a partnership with our local law enforcement, like we do with the sheriff in Warren County, and we come pick them up after they after they apprehend them.”

The DHS secretary criticized jurisdictions that have banned law enforcement from working with the 287g program. “When they do that, they are actually aiding and abetting the criminals at that point, because we can just expand and get after it faster when we’re participating all together,” he said, adding that “this isn’t a political issue at all.”

He also addressed check-ins at schools, as he insisted the focus was to locate the children lost during the Biden administration and rescue those being trafficked, which has been a priority for the Trump administration.

“We’re going to schools to find out are these kids there because that’s where they were last reported. If they’re there and they’re safe, great. Are we there to make arrests? Absolutely not. We’re there to find these kids,” though he lamented that there are states that are directing schools not to work with officers.

“We have 180,000 that are still under 18, and we’re hoping and praying they’re in schools. …If we can get cooperation from [schools], it’d be wonderful, because that’s 100% what we’re trying to do,” Mullin continued, as he also spoke of using contractors rather than ICE officers.