Staff Reports
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin flew to Rapid City, South Dakota on June 26, 2026 to tour the local ICE facility, meet with agents on the ground, and receive briefings alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune. The visit was no photo-op — it was a hands-on, boots-on-the-ground show of support for officers doing the hard, unpopular work that keeps communities safe.
Officials briefed Secretary Mullin on a string of regional criminal and trafficking cases that demonstrate the human cost of open-border policies, and Mullin publicly highlighted sex trafficking and fraud cases that have shown up in South Dakota. He pointedly noted that some 450,000 unaccompanied minors were placed with sponsors without adequate vetting under the previous administration — a staggering figure that underlines the need for accountability and tougher enforcement.
Mullin used the visit to praise the 287(g) partnerships that let state and local officers work with ICE, and he made clear that strong federal-state cooperation is the practical path to restoring law and order. South Dakota law enforcement has stepped up, with Highway Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation joining 287(g) agreements and the state expanding training and participation to support deportations and joint operations.
This visit also highlighted the other dark side of lax border control — the flow of drugs and the criminal networks exploiting our neighborhoods. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement in the region have recently dismantled major drug trafficking rings pushing meth and fentanyl into local communities, a reminder that enforcement matters and that criminals will follow weak borders and weak enforcement.
State leaders and the Trump administration are answering with resources: the state has expanded 287(g) participation and the federal government has provided funding to support local agencies taking on immigration enforcement duties. If Washington is serious about protecting seniors, children, and small towns from predatory criminal networks, that seriousness should be matched with steady funding, robust training, and full legal backing for men and women who put their lives on the line.
For hardworking Americans who watch their towns change and their families worry, Secretary Mullin’s trip was a welcome sign that someone in Washington finally understands the stakes. He didn’t come to grandstand — he came to see what works, thank the agents, and send a warning to traffickers and cartel networks that this country will not be a safe haven for lawlessness. That resolve is exactly what patriotic citizens expect from a Department of Homeland Security that puts American safety first.
