White House border czar Tom Homan defended the administration’s expanded immigration enforcement Sunday, addressing recent deportations, abuse allegations, and claims that agents targeted parents at school bus stops.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan addressed the arrest and swift deportation of right-wing activist Milo Yiannopoulos, who was taken into custody Thursday and sent back to the United Kingdom on Friday. Homan stated that Yiannopoulos had overstayed a visitor visa and failed to appear in immigration court.
“The judge ordered him deported,” Homan said. “So, once ICE gets an order of deportation from a federal judge, their job is to execute that order, and that’s what they did.”
When asked by host Dana Bash whether the 24-hour turnaround indicated preferential treatment to avoid time in detention, Homan said the agency has actively tried to speed up removals across the board to save taxpayer money and free up bed space. He also dismissed suggestions that the administration singled out Yiannopoulos to make an example of him, stating, “We don’t deport people based on political affiliation.”
The interview addressed a report published Sunday by The New York Times, in which 10 deportees described violent treatment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. According to the report, officers twisted handcuffs and pressed knees onto necks when individuals resisted deboarding a flight in Liberia.
“I don’t think that treatment occurred,” Homan responded, adding that the matter would be handled by internal affairs if formal complaints were filed. “The policy is minimum force necessary to make an arrest or to get compliance of an arrestee.” Homan noted that threats and assaults against ICE personnel have surged significantly, which he said forces officers to protect themselves while carrying out the law.
Homan also responded to criticism over two recent deportation flights to Haiti, despite warnings from U.S. officials regarding rampant gang violence in the country. Following the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations, Homan emphasized that orders from immigration judges must be carried out regardless of outside conditions.
“Temporary Protected Status is supposed to be temporary,” Homan said. “I’m not familiar with the country conditions in Haiti. I have never been there, but we’re just enforcing the law.”
The conversation then turned to allegations raised in Connecticut, where Sen. Chris Murphy, along with state and local officials, accused ICE officers of detaining parents at school bus stops in Danbury. Murphy claimed officers were present “just to terrorize little kids.”
Homan denied the accusation, saying ICE does not aim to frighten children and that such claims amount to political rhetoric. While acknowledging that the agency no longer operates under the formal “sensitive locations” policy, Homan maintained that agents do not conduct operations inside elementary schools, churches, or hospitals.
“As far as the school bus, I’m not aware of that incident at all,” Homan said, adding that he would make an inquiry with the Department of Homeland Security regarding the Connecticut claims.
Regarding a prior agency commitment to equip all field officers with body cameras by the end of August, Homan said equipment purchases had previously faced delays during a government shutdown. While training has taken place across field offices, he said he could not confirm whether the cameras are currently 100% deployed across the entire agency workforce.
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