Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the House Homeland Security Committee’s top Democrat, asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to preserve records as the incoming majority prepares to scrutinize the agency.
Hindustan Times and Just The News reported that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s official X account carried the message “Deportations will continue” on Nov. 4. The Associated Press reported Democrats won both the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The new Congress begins at noon ET Jan. 3, 2027, under the 20th Amendment. AP reported the incoming majority will control committees and have subpoena powers once its term begins.
Thompson sent Mullin a letter on Nov. 4. It asked DHS to preserve records and answer outstanding committee requests, with written assurances due Nov. 11. The committee sought confirmation that records and data would remain intact and accessible, rather than be destroyed, changed, removed or transferred. Thompson said the committee intends to address what he called the Trump administration’s “assault on the rule of law” in the 120th Congress.
The letter sets out an early oversight step, focused on preserving files and pursuing unanswered committee requests. AP drew a comparison with the 2018 midterms, when Democrats took control of the House and later impeached President Donald Trump twice. EconoTimes previously reported on Democrats’ planned oversight priorities.
The election does not change the existing removal law or the multiyear ICE appropriation. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1231, authorities generally must carry out a removal within 90 days of a final order, subject to statutory conditions and exceptions. The Secure America Act, enacted June 10, 2026, appropriated $31.075 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The money is available through Sept. 30, 2029, for enforcement personnel, transportation tied to departures or removals and other expenses. The law does not set a deportation target.
Thompson’s Nov. 11 deadline is the next dated step before the new Congress begins Jan. 3, 2027.
