Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that the White House is exploring legal ways to withhold federal funding from sanctuary states and cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement.Speaking on "The Ingraham Angle," Mullin highlighted the arrests of more than 2,100 illegal immigrants in New York and said Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue deportations despite local sanctuary restrictions."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," Mullin told host Laura Ingraham.GOP SENATORS RALLY AROUND NEW DHS PROPOSAL TARGETING SANCTUARY CITIES: 'SHOULD PAY A PRICE'Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin speaks during a press conference at the U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services New York field office on Sept.
1, 2026, in New York City.Mullin discussed "Operation Rotten Apple," an ICE operation that resulted in more than 2,100 arrests across New York.
(Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)"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? Why would we be processing immigration policies and immigrants into our state or into a city that is a sanctuary state or sanctuary city? It doesn't make any sense to me," he added.DHS has launched several deportation operations since President Donald Trump began his second term, most recently in New York with an operation dubbed "Rotten Apple." Mullin said the operation resulted in more than 2,100 arrests, including people accused of murder, rape, child sexual abuse and drug trafficking.DHS SECRETARY BASHES NEW YORK LEADERSHIP AFTER ANNOUNCING THOUSANDS OF ARRESTS IN SWEEPING OPERATIONHomeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin speaks during a news conference at the Eisenhower Executive Offic...