Border Czar Tom Homan asserted Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not be deterred by oppositional rhetoric and remains committed to deporting individuals who have violated immigration laws. “They won’t stop the men and women of ICE,” Homan stated during an interview, emphasizing the agency’s resolve.
The Department of Homeland Security reported a 1000 percent surge in violence against ICE agents as they carry out their duties. A recent incident on Wednesday highlighted the risks: 29-year-old Joshua Jahn allegedly killed an illegal alien detainee and injured two others before taking his own life. Authorities discovered bullet casings marked with the phrase “anti-ICE” at the scene, though no agents were harmed in the attack.
Homan criticized sanctuary cities for enabling approximately 600,000 undocumented individuals with criminal records to remain free, citing local governments’ refusal to cooperate with ICE. He argued that such policies force agents into communities to locate offenders, often resulting in nonviolent immigrants being detained alongside criminals. “If you want fewer collateral arrests, let us into the jail where it’s safe for everyone,” Homan said, lamenting systemic resistance to this approach.
He recounted personal losses, stating he has “buried Border Patrol and ICE agents” throughout his career and urged an end to inflammatory rhetoric. “These men and women are patriots. They’re moms and dads too. I want every one of them to go home to their families each night,” Homan pleaded.
Despite his appeals, Democratic leaders have intensified attacks on ICE. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) accused agents of conducting “dangerous and reckless immigration operations” following the shooting, while Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) criticized ICE for targeting individuals during routine activities like dropping children at daycare. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), a Democratic senatorial candidate, labeled ICE’s methods as “Gestapo tactics.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blamed Homan for promoting “masked ICE agents on the American people,” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) claimed ICE was “stoking fear” by targeting communities without criminal records.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) accused federal officials of disproportionately arresting individuals based on race or ethnicity, while California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned the Trump administration’s deportation efforts as “authoritarian.” Homan dismissed anti-ICE protesters as uninformed, suggesting their actions are fueled by misinformation. “If the media told the truth about what ICE is actually doing, maybe so many people wouldn’t get inflamed,” he said.
The article also noted a federal court ruling against the Trump administration’s religious exemption for the Little Sisters of the Poor on contraceptive mandates, though this detail was unrelated to the main discussion.
Debra Heine, a conservative Catholic mother and political commentator, contributed to the analysis. A photo caption described Homan during an interview in 2025, but no further details were included.
