# DHS Orders DeepSeek Removal From Federal IT

DHS directed roughly 430 federal civilian agencies to stop procuring DeepSeek products and services and remove them from existing IT systems, including third-party offerings developed using DeepSeek implementations. Secretary Markwayne Mullin signed the directive on June 26, 2026; it became public on October 19–20 under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA). The signals report no government-wide removal deadline or contract value, and the order does not establish a general ban on private use. Its formal exception window had closed before the order became public, creating a constraint for agencies seeking relief.

- Federal contractors should inventory AI models and dependencies in products and services provided to civilian agencies, including third-party components, and plan for removal or replacement where covered DeepSeek implementations are found.
- Agencies must stop new purchases and remove covered products; contractors should document unresolved provenance gaps and consult CISA rather than make compliance claims they cannot substantiate.
- The order is a supply-chain restriction, not a stated solicitation or contract award. Companies should assess the effect on existing federal deployments and future bids; the signals identify no specific replacement contract opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance, Cybersecurity
**Published:** October 20, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Federal civilian executive agencies
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

### Vendors
- DeepSeek (Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.) (Supplier subject to the exclusion and removal order)

### Sources
- [DeepSeek Ban: DHS Reveals Mullin, 60-Day Window [2026]](https://shattered.io/dhs-deepseek-ban-mullin-signed-60-day-window-2026) - shattered.io
- [DHS Filed DeepSeek Ban 28 Days After Agencies Lost Right to Request Exceptions](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/329253/20261020/dhs-filed-deepseek-ban-28-days-after-agencies-lost-right-request-exceptions.htm) - Tech Times
- [US Government Bans DeepSeek AI From Federal Civilian Agency IT Systems](https://gbhackers.com/us-government-bans-deepseek-ai) - GBHackers News