Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Newsmax on Thursday that immigration arrests have reached record levels because the department has deliberately stepped back from the media spotlight and allowed federal agents to quietly do their work.

“Our goal was to not be on the front page of the news every single day,” Mullin said on “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE.” “Because if our men and women are out there and able to do their job without protesters showing up, without cameras being all over the place, without it being politicized, we knew we could increase our numbers. And that’s exactly what we’ve done”.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 50,925 illegal aliens nationwide in August, breaking the monthly record of 50,208 set in July, according to figures DHS released Wednesday. July had surpassed the previous record of 43,900 arrests in June.

Mullin, who succeeded Kristi Noem as DHS secretary in March, said the department reduced its media profile after he took over while coordinating immigration enforcement with the White House, border czar Tom Homan and President Donald Trump. Mullin was confirmed by the Senate 54-45 on March 23 and sworn in the following day.

“We’ve tried to take a step back from the media a little bit, because we didn’t want to be highlighting it all the time, because we have a job that’s more important than me being out on TV,” Mullin said.

Mullin said ICE has also placed greater emphasis on targeting illegal aliens with criminal records rather than conducting large-scale workplace raids. “We’re focusing on truly the worst of the worst,” Mullin said. “We’re focusing on these detainers that these liberal states are releasing out of prison, meaning these detainers are individuals that are in prison, that these sanctuary cities and sanctuary states are releasing back on the streets”.

Mullin said agents often encounter other illegal aliens while attempting to arrest a targeted individual, claiming that “for every one warrant we’re serving, we’re picking up another 4.2 individuals”.

The secretary also pointed to Operation Rotten Apple, an immigration enforcement operation conducted across New York from July 27 through Aug. 29. DHS said ICE arrested 2,197 illegal aliens during the operation, including people convicted of murder, rape, child sex crimes and drug trafficking.

Mullin blamed sanctuary policies for making ICE’s job more difficult, saying local and state officials should transfer illegal aliens to federal custody before releasing them from jail. “If these sanctuary cities and sanctuary states would just simply allow us to pick these individuals up, once they arrest them, they charge them, and before they release them back on the streets, let us deport them,” Mullin said. “But they refuse to work with us”.

Mullin said the administration will continue immigration enforcement regardless of opposition from state and local officials. “President Trump ran on restoring law and order,” he said. “So guess what? If they’re not going to do their job, the men and women at ICE will do their job”. Mullin also said deportation flights are leaving the United States daily for destinations abroad.