Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 4,170 illegal aliens during a sweeping 10-day operation across Texas, according to an announcement provided by the Department of Homeland Security to Fox News. The operation averaged more than 400 arrests per day.

Officials called the operation Lone Star Mission. Fox correspondent Bill Melugin reported that the arrest totals included some of the largest daily numbers ICE has ever recorded during an operation in a single state.

The results offered a striking display of what immigration officers can accomplish when state, local, and county officials cooperate with federal enforcement. Texas has largely avoided the riots and disruptions that have hindered immigration operations in other parts of the country.

While Dallas has experienced localized protests, Texas officials have continued working with ICE. That cooperation allowed officers to conduct the statewide operation more efficiently and produce unusually high arrest numbers over a relatively short period.

Melugin announced that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin would hold a press conference in Dallas to discuss the operation. Mullin was also expected to identify some of the most egregious illegal aliens arrested during Lone Star Mission.

During the press conference, Mullin praised federal immigration officers for protecting Texans and enforcing the law. He presented their work as part of the basic responsibility of government to protect people who respect law and order.

“Here in Texas, they're protecting their state,” Mullin said. “They're protecting those that respect the law and order. Here in Texas, they're keeping the people safe, because it's what they're sworn to do.”

@SecMullinDHS on the importance partnerships played in the MASSIVE @ICEgov Lone Star Mission that led to the arrest of over 4,100+ illegal aliens in just 10 days.

"Here in Texas they're protecting their state...thank you for the cooperation that we had from our partners from state, local, and county, it's not possible to do it without your help." — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 29, 2026

Mullin also thanked the state, local, and county officials and law enforcement agencies that supported the operation. He made clear that the scale of Lone Star Mission depended upon cooperation among federal officers and their Texas partners.

“And as I stand here in front of you, I couldn't be more proud of the work they did. And thank you for the cooperation we had from our partners, from state, local, and county” politicians and law enforcement, Mullin said. “It's not possible to do it without your help.”

Mullin connected immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump with falling crime statistics across the United States. He credited the administration with empowering federal officials to enforce immigration laws and pursue people in the country illegally.

“Thank God that President Trump for coming in and empowering us to enforce our nation's laws,” Mullin said. “We're able to see the crime rate drop. We're able to see murder rates drop to a 126-year low.”

“We're seeing violent crimes drop to 30 and 40-year lows. We're seeing fentanyl overdoses go backwards for the first time, because we're enforcing our nation's laws,” Mullin continued.

Mullin also challenged critics who portray the enforcement of federal immigration statutes as controversial. He noted that Congress, not the Department of Homeland Security, wrote the laws that federal immigration officers are responsible for enforcing.

“The Department of Homeland Security didn't make these laws. Congress made these laws, and we enforce the laws that Congress passed. Why is it controversial for us to enforce those laws?” Mullin asked.

He argued that protecting the country and maintaining safe communities should not become partisan controversies. Lone Star Mission, he said, removed more than 4,100 criminals from the streets in only 10 days.

“Protecting our homeland should never be controversial. Doing our job …like the Lone Star Mission, where we take over 4,100 criminals off our streets in 10 days. Why is that controversial? We should all want to be safe in our communities,” Mullin said.

“Thank God for President Trump coming in and empowering us to enforce our nation’s laws. We’re able to see the crime rate drop, we’re able to see murder rates drop to a 126-year low, we’re seeing violent crimes drop to 30-40 year lows, and we’re seeing fentanyl overdoses go backward for the first time because we’re enforcing our nation’s laws.” @SecMullinDHS

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 29, 2026

The Texas operation arrived as immigration enforcement remained a major political issue following the 2024 election. Despite loud resistance from leftist activists in cities including Minneapolis, Portland, and Los Angeles, Texas officials gave ICE the cooperation needed to complete a major statewide sweep.

Lone Star Mission delivered the kind of results immigration enforcement supporters have demanded. With 4,170 arrests in 10 days, the operation showed how quickly ICE can move when local officials help enforce the law rather than obstruct the officers carrying it out.

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