Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the White House is exploring legal avenues to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities and states that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement, revealing the discussion had taken place with President Trump in the Oval Office shortly before he spoke. The comments, made during an appearance on Fox News's "The Ingraham Angle," follow a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in New York and signal a potential escalation in the administration's efforts to pressure local jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Mullin cited the New York operation, dubbed "Rotten Apple," which he said led to more than 2,100 arrests, including individuals accused of murder, rape, child sexual abuse and drug trafficking. He questioned why sanctuary cities should continue receiving federal funding, such as for airports, while declining to assist with immigration enforcement, and argued that officials "don't pick and choose which laws to enforce." Among those arrested, DHS said, were a Ukrainian national convicted of kidnapping and murder and a Colombian national previously arrested on child sexual abuse-related charges.