DHS Secretary Visits Phoenix To Oversee Deportation Flights For ‘Dangerous’ Illegal Aliens

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October 18, 2026

By Staff Reporter |

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief was in Phoenix on Friday to oversee deportation flights for what the agency said were “dangerous illegal aliens.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin oversaw the deportation flights headed for Mexico. Among the deportees were illegal aliens identified as pedophiles, violent assailants, drug traffickers, drunk drivers, burglars, and gang members.

DHS quoted Mullin in a press release as saying that these latest deportation flights out of Phoenix are part of this administration’s continued promise to mass deport illegal aliens.

“The American people voted for mass deportations, and that’s exactly what we’re giving them. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are removing dangerous illegals like these from our communities and from our country every single day,” said Mullin. “We will not stop until we have deported as many illegals as possible, so that we can make America safe again.”

Friday’s deportees included:

Jaime Velasquez Orozco, convicted in the past of child sexual abuse, attempted rape, domestic abuse, burglary, battery, driving under the influence, hit-and-run, and drug possession.
Jiovany Baray-Acosta, convicted in the past of driving under the influence with a minor in the car, drug possession, illegal weapon possession, and kidnapping.
Noe Ochoa Torres, convicted in the past of child abuse, sexual assault of a child, and drug possession.
Luis Antonio Vasquez Encinas, convicted in the past of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor under 15.
German Garcia-Ordonez, convicted in the past of assault and battery in the presence of a minor.
Filiberto Preciado-Gamboa, a gang member convicted in the past of domestic abuse, drug possession, and shoplifting.
Jose Cruz Estrada, convicted in the past of domestic abuse, terroristic threats, driving while intoxicated, and evading arrest.
Rolando Carbajal Villegas, convicted in the past of driving while intoxicated and assault.
Octavio Felipe-Olivera, convicted in the past of driving under the influence and disturbing the peace.

DHS reported last December that more than 2.5 million illegal aliens have left the country since Trump took office in January of last year. Of those exits, more than 600,000 were reportedly formal deportations and approximately 1.9 million were voluntary self-deportations.

Approximately 10 million illegal aliens reside within the country.

DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also announced on Friday that the preliminary data for this fiscal year indicate a 95% drop in southwest border apprehensions compared to the last administration, along with what they allege to be the “lowest annual encounters in American history and the first-ever fiscal year with zero Border Patrol releases.”

According to CBP, encounters of illegal aliens along the southwest border have dropped from an average 177,000 encounters per month during the final year of President Joe Biden’s administration to about 11,000 encounters per month under President Donald Trump.

In CBP’s 2026 fiscal year — which runs from October 2025 through September 2026 — there have been just over 128,000 encounters. Under Trump’s first month in office, monthly encounters dropped by about 20%.