WATCH: Mullen holds press conference on election security after Trump’s address to the nation

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen discussed election security at the White House complex. Friday’s briefing comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s prime-time speech Thursday night, in which he revived lies about voter fraud ahead of the November midterm elections.

Watch in the video player above.

Trump used a prime-time address to the nation to highlight his years-long campaign to cast doubt on the legitimacy of US elections and dispute his loss in 2020 — this time, to justify his push to pass a strict voter ID bill. His claims of interference and influence did not include the main context. He also did not provide evidence of vote tampering or changing the election results.

The Secretary of Homeland Security pledges to aggressively pursue cases of voter fraud

If anyone votes illegally in the upcoming midterm elections, “we will go after you, we will find you, we will prosecute you,” Mullen said.

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In a White House briefing focused on Trump’s prime-time election claims, Mullen also threatened fines, penalties or prison time for state election officials who refuse to hand over sensitive voter data to the Department of Homeland Security.

Read more: Here’s what makes US elections so complex and secure

States that do not choose to use DHS’s recently updated tool to identify noncitizen voters will become a “priority” for investigations, he said.

The comments come as a federal judge blocked use of the updated DHS system, citing voter privacy and the fact that it could lead to an illegal purge of eligible voters.

Mullen would not comment on ICE shootings and says arrests have been up

The Secretary of Homeland Security said during a news conference that he had not heard of allegations of violent behavior against the deportation officer who shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine earlier this week.

The officer’s relatives told The Associated Press that he had serious mental health problems, had a history of violent behavior and should not have been given a badge and a gun.

Mullen said the shooting is being investigated and will allow the investigation to continue.

“We realize the matter is being investigated, and we will allow the investigation to continue. That’s all I’ll say about that,” Mullen said.

He would not comment on whether the officer was on leave, but said that was standard practice following any shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary says ICE hits arrest records ‘every day’

Mullen said that the administration is working to intensify enforcement and achieve record numbers of arrests.

“Our arrests are up. We’re setting single-day records every day,” Mullen said.

Mullen also said the agency deported 442,637 people in 2025, and has so far deported 403,294 people this year.

“We are trying to improve our ability to work with local law enforcement and state law enforcement,” he said.

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security do not regularly publish data regarding deportations, arrests, and detention, leading to criticism that there is no way to verify their work.

Unlike his predecessor, Kristi Noem, Mullen has tried to stay out of immigration enforcement operations. But the recent shooting deaths of two people by ICE officers during operations has put the department back in the spotlight.