DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the Trump administration has arrested 2,220 known terrorists on U.S. soil since the president's second term began, and he insists these are not people merely flagged as suspicious. Speaking in an interview with Breitbart, Mullin was emphatic that every one of these individuals was a confirmed terrorist, not someone pulled from a broader watch list. He said the vast majority entered the country illegally during the Biden administration, many by claiming asylum under false names before slipping into communities across the country. Mullin has cited similar numbers, ranging from roughly 2,150 to 2,210, in other recent appearances, including on the Ruthless Podcast, suggesting the total has been steadily climbing.

Mullin, who was confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary in March 2026 after serving in the Senate, frames the arrests as proof of a major shift in strategy at DHS, moving the agency from a defensive posture to what he calls active, offensive counterterrorism work. He has repeatedly contrasted this approach with what he describes as Biden-era policies that released the vast majority of individuals DHS encountered at the border within just hours. The claim builds on earlier DHS announcements tying these arrests back to prior border encounters that went unresolved for years. With immigration and national security still dominating the political conversation, Mullin's numbers are likely to keep fueling debate over just how many of these cases are being prosecuted and what happens next.