Mullin Claims 1,900 Alleged Terrorists Arrested Since January 2025
If the administration's figures are verified through court records and DHS disclosures, the arrests would represent a significant enforcement action against individuals who entered the country...
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated at a press conference on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, that the Trump administration has arrested more than 1,900 noncitizens it alleges are terrorists who entered the United States during the Biden administration, according to a Washington Examiner report citing the press conference directly. Mullin made the remarks in the context of security preparations for the FIFA World Cup and America 250 bicentennial celebrations, saying federal, state, and local law enforcement are monitoring for threats at both events.
The 1,900 figure, as stated by Secretary Mullin, has not been independently corroborated through publicly available DHS arrest records, court filings, or Department of Justice case data as of publication. The department has not released a corresponding dataset, case list, or charging document index. The source of the claim is Secretary Mullin's spoken statement at the Wednesday press conference, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
The term 'known terrorists' as used by the secretary refers to individuals the administration has designated as terrorist threats. The legal basis for each individual designation — whether drawn from the Terrorist Screening Database, indictments, material support charges under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, or other mechanisms — has not been specified in available public records. DHS did not immediately release supporting documentation.
Congress has oversight authority over DHS arrest and detention operations. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee have the jurisdiction to request the underlying arrest records, individual charging documents, and the criteria used to classify the 1,900 individuals as terrorists. As of July 1, 2026, no committee request for this specific dataset has been publicly announced.
What remains unknown: the number of the 1,900 individuals who have been formally charged in federal court, the number held under civil immigration detention versus criminal custody, the specific terrorist designations applied, and the jurisdictions of arrest. The records that would answer these questions are Department of Justice PACER filings, DHS Enforcement and Removal Operations reports, and any subsequent DHS press releases with case-level data.