White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will go “where we need to go” to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, declaring there is “no safe harbor” for criminals and national security threats as the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement nationwide.
“President Trump is the president of the United States because he promised to enforce immigration law, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We’re sending a message to the world: The borders are no longer open. You can’t come here for a free pass and expect to stay forever,” he added.
Homan also defended President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda amid questions about arrests near school bus stops, the removal of Haitians whose Temporary Protected Status had ended, and allegations of mistreatment by ICE officers.
Homan was asked about reports that ICE officers had arrested parents near school bus stops in Connecticut. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has accused agents of targeting parents waiting with children in Danbury.
Homan said he was unaware of the reported arrests but promised to inquire with the Department of Homeland Security.
“ICE is out there to enforce the law against those that have been ordered removed by a federal judge,” Homan said. “And especially if they’re a criminal or if they’re a national security threat, there’s no safe harbor for them in this country. We’ll go where we need to go.”
Homan rejected accusations that ICE was seeking to frighten children, calling such claims political rhetoric that contributes to threats against federal immigration officers.
He also defended deportations to Haiti after the administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians despite continuing violence and instability in the country.
“They lost their TPS status. They’re ordered removed. They got to go home,” Homan said. “They have no status here anymore. They can’t stay here.”
Asked whether he was comfortable returning people to Haiti given the security situation, Homan said he was unfamiliar with conditions there but maintained that ICE must enforce removal orders.
“The bottom line is they’ve been ordered removed,” he said. “The judge has made a decision. They must go home.”
Homan on Sunday also addressed the deportation of Milo Yiannopoulos, a British right-wing provocateur and former Trump supporter who was arrested Thursday and deported to the United Kingdom the following day.
Homan said his understanding was that Yiannopoulos had overstayed a visa, failed to appear in immigration court, and was ordered deported by a judge.
“He had his due process, ordered removed by a federal judge, and ICE removed him. It’s that simple,” Homan said.
He denied that Yiannopoulos received preferential treatment by being deported within a day of his arrest, saying DHS has been working to shorten detention times and execute removal orders more quickly.
Homan also responded to a New York Times report alleging abusive treatment of deportees who resisted leaving a U.S. deportation flight after it landed in Liberia. He said he did not believe the alleged mistreatment occurred but said the complaints would be investigated.
“We use minimum force required to make a detainee comply,” Homan said. “If someone acted out of line, it would be investigated by internal affairs.”
Homan also reiterated his support for body cameras for ICE field officers, though he could not confirm whether the agency had met its goal of equipping every officer by the end of August.
“I’m a big proponent of cameras because I want the American people to see what the officer sees when he makes a decision,” Homan said.
He said the cameras were being deployed but added, “Are they 100% deployed today? I’m not sure.”
