Latest news with #Homan
The Hill
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Tom Homan on CBP shooting: Sanctuary cities are enabling criminals
(NewsNation) — White House border czar Tom Homan is making one thing abundantly clear in the aftermath of an off-duty federal agent being shot — he's had enough with these kinds of incidents. Homan, in a Monday appearance on 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports,' said everyone has seen videos of undocumented migrants in Times Square attacking NYPD officers and United States citizens. 'It's enough. I mean, criminal aliens have no place walking the streets of America, attacking American citizens,' Homan said. Migrants detained in Florida treated 'less than human': Report He's calling for ICE to 'flood the zone' after an unnamed officer, 42, was shot in the face while sitting on a rock with a woman at Fort Washington Park in New York City just before midnight on July 19. Video released by the Department of Homeland Security showed two men on a moped approach the officer and his companion. The moped passenger tried to rob the off-duty officer but the officer pulled out his service gun, leading to a shootout. The officer was shot in the face and forearm, police said. Homan visited him at the hospital and said the officer remained sedated as of Monday night. He is expected to survive. One of the men was taken into custody after arriving at a Bronx hospital with gunshot wounds to the groin and leg. Suspects' criminal record The alleged shooter, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, was caught at the Arizona border in 2023 when he crossed over illegally. Nunez also had an active deportation order, but was released on his own recognizance, according to Homan. ICE arrested the second suspect, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, who also entered the U.S. illegally from the Dominican Republic in 2022 and has a criminal record in New York City. Migrant charged with concealing woman's death arrested by ICE Under Biden, authorities 'released millions into the United States without proper vetting,' Homan claimed on Monday night. 'The shooter and his accomplice both entered under the Biden administration. Both were released. Both are criminals. … And this is why President Trump came into office. And the first thing we did under President Trump's leadership, we ended catch and release. 'The law is clear. Federal law is clear: When you come to our border illegally and you don't have proper documentation, enter, the law says you shall be detained.' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday blamed Mayor Eric Adams and sanctuary city policies for the shooting. But Homan feels there's far more to the problem. 'Politics is why we're in a position we're in,' he said. 'People put politics over public safety. And every sanctuary city does it. 'New York, LA, Chicago, I mean, it just goes on and on and on. So bottom line is, sanctuaries are sanctuary for criminals.' Homan said federal agents are going to 'flood the zone' after New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he welcomes agents to the city to prevent such incidents from happening again. 'Bottom line, President Trump and myself have been saying from day one, our priorities are public safety threats and national security threats,' Homan said. 'That's what we're focusing on.'
The Hill
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Homan hits Hunter Biden over ICE criticism
President Trump's border czar Tom Homan hammered Hunter Biden, the son of former President Biden, over his criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement operations. Biden said during his interview with YouTube creator Andrew Callaghan, which was released on Monday, that 'all these Democrats say, you have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration.' 'F— you. How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you have food on your f—— table? Who do you think washes your dishes,' Hunter Biden said. Homan criticized both the younger Biden and former President Biden for his administration's handling of the southern border Monday night. 'The former first drug addict doesn't know he's talking about first of all, but the left doesn't want to admit the truth. The left, the left, doesn't want to admit the truth. They know that under President Biden, not by accident, not by mismanagement, not by incompetence, by design,' Homan said during his appearance on Fox News' 'Hannity.' '10.5 million people came over the border and they released a vast majority in the United States.' 'Sex trafficking, women and children, historic high, over a quarter million Americans dead from fentanyl coming across the border in historic high, over 400 people on terrorist watchlist were arrested coming across the border in historic high, cartels made more money than ever,' Homan told host Sean Hannity. Homan said Monday night that the administration will continue looking for those who are in the country illegally and have a criminal record. 'We are looking for these people. We're trying to find as many criminals, national security threats as we can. Right now in seven weeks. In seven weeks, President Trump created the most secure border in the history of this nation in seven weeks. What Joe Biden couldn't do it for years,' Homan said. 'President Trump proves to the American people every day when he's the greatest president my lifetime.' Biden's criticism of ICE's operations has also been slammed by Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, on Monday. 'That's just idiotic. It's dumb. You know, to make comments like that is crazy, because under the last administration, those are the problems we have right now. Under these former administrations, President Obama, President Biden, it's made illegal immigration common, in the commonplace, and that's just not the case,' Lyons said on Fox News.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's border czar to target sanctuary cities in US: ‘We're gonna flood the zone'
The Trump administration is targeting sanctuary cities in the next phase of its deportation drive after labelling them 'sanctuaries for criminals' following the shooting of an off-duty law enforcement officer in New York City, allegedly by an undocumented person with a criminal record. Tom Homan, Donald Trump's hardline border czar, vowed to 'flood the zone' with Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (Ice) agents in an all-out bid to overcome the lack of cooperation he said the government faced from Democrat-run municipalities in its quest to arrest and detain undocumented people. His pledge followed the arrest of two undocumented men from the Dominican Republic after a Customs and Border Protection officer suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and face in an apparent robbery attempt in New York's Riverside park on Saturday night. New York is one of several self-designated 'sanctuary cities' across the US, called so because the mayors and local councils have prevented law officers under their control from collaborating with federal immigration officers working on Trump's mass deportation scheme. Homan – who has previously threatened to arrest mayors if they impede Ice's arrest efforts – said: 'Every sanctuary city is unsafe. Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals and President Trump's not going to tolerate it. 'I'm going to work very hard … to keep President Trump's promise and his commitment several weeks ago that sanctuary cities are now our priority. We're going to flood the zone. 'What we're going to do [is deploy] more agents in New York City to look for that bad guy so sanctuary cities get exactly what they don't want – more agents in the community and more agents in the worksite. 'If we can't arrest that bad guy in the safety and security of the county jail, we'll arrest him in the community. And when we arrest him in the community, if he's with others that are in the country illegally, they are coming too.' Homan's comments came at a news conference fronted by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, focusing on the incident in New York, which left the unnamed customs and border protection officer in hospital. The 42-year-old agent was off duty and sitting with a female companion when he was reportedly approached by two men on a scooter shortly before midnight. The officer was not in uniform and police said there was no indication that he was targeted because of his occupation. An exchange of gunfire ensued when the officer withdrew his service weapon, apparently in self-defense. A suspect, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, was later taken in to custody after turning up at a hospital in the Bronx with gunshot wounds to the leg and groin. Noem said the episode was a direct result of the sanctuary city policy adopted by New York's mayor, Eric Adams, as well as the approach to border security adopted during Joe Biden's presidency. 'Make no mistake, this officer is in the hospital today, fighting for his life, because of the policies of the mayor of the city and the city council and the people that were in charge of keeping the public safe, they refused to do so,' she said. The criticism of Adams came despite widespread reports of a deal made between him and the Trump administration that involved New York giving greater cooperation than before on immigration. The agreement was reached as the justice department moved to dismiss federal corruption charges against Adams, although the mayor has insisted there was no quid pro quo. Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles have also suffered crime waves through sanctuary city policies, according to Noem. 'We look at Mayor [Michelle] Wu in Boston and what has happened there under her watch,' she said. 'What's happened in LA with the riots and the violence and the protest that have gone on because of Mayor [Karen] Bass and what she has perpetuated. 'When you look at Mayor [Brandon] Johnson in Chicago, and how devastating it is to live in that city and some of those poorest communities, how they suffer every single day with the violence that's in front of them. Just because these individuals are protecting criminals.' She also highlighted Nunez – who she said had been arrested four times since entering the US illegally in 2023 – as well as his accomplice, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, saying he had 'entered the country illegally in 2022 under the Biden administration and was ordered for final removal in 2023 by an immigration judge. 'There's absolutely zero reason that someone who is scum of the earth like this should be running loose on the streets of New York City,' Noem said, referring to Nunez. 'Arrested four different times in New York City and because of the mayor's policies and was released back to do harm to people and to individuals living in the city.' Homan criticised media reports suggesting that the majority of those detained were not criminals. 'I look at the numbers every day,' he said. 'The numbers I looked at [are] 130,000 arrests and 90,000 criminals. Do the math. That's 70%. Others are those who have final orders, who had due process at great taxpayer expense. A federal judge ordered them removed. Ice's job is to remove them.' Others were national security threats, he said. 'Under Secretary Noem's leadership, they've arrested several hundred Iranian nationals, national security threats. They may not have a criminal conviction, but they need to be detained. They need to be arrested and taken off the streets of this country.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Democrat cities should expect 'flood' of ICE agents: White House
"We're going to flood the zone," Homan said at a July 21 press conference. "Sanctuary cities get exactly what they don't want: more agents in the community and more agents in the work site. When we arrest (a suspected illegal immigrant) in the community, if he's with others that are in the country illegally, they're coming too." Sanctuary cities won't help with ICE arrests The White House has repeatedly singled out cities from Los Angeles to Denver to Boston for their refusal to assist ICE agents making detentions, and Homan has threatened to arrest elected officials who stymie the president. Migrant-rights groups warn increased enforcement raises the risk of more civil rights violations and violent confrontations, like the chaotic protests that broke out in Los Angeles last month following ICE raids at a Home Depot, among other locations. Homan spoke in New York City after an off-duty Border Patrol was injured during an attempted robbery that officials say was committed by an undocumented immigrant. Homan and other White House officials argue the agent would never have been hurt if his alleged assailant had previously been blocked from entering the country or deported. Trump officials have long complained that many cities run by Democrats refuse to honor requests to detain people on behalf of ICE in local jails, and Homan said doing so makes it harder for ICE to arrest "bad guys" in the safety of a detention center. He said making street arrests is more dangerous for everyone, requiring more personnel to operate safely. Federal officials say there's been an 800% increase in assaults against immigration agents, although they have declined to release comprehensive data. Last month, Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal buildings and assist ICE agents in making detentions, a move that temporarily escalated tensions. ICE has conducted immigration enforcement actions around the country but it's yet to focus a sustained effort in any particular sanctuary city outside of the Los Angeles area. Budget balloons for immigrant arrests and detentions The federal spending plan, among other things, provides funding for 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to help carry out Trump's plan to deport 1 million people annually. Trump won the White House after campaigning on a platform that included dramatically stricter immigration enforcement and border controls, and the federal funding plan he signed July 4 provides money to dramatically expand the number of ICE agents on the streets, $45 billion for more than 100,000 new detention beds for people facing deportation, $46.6 billion for border wall construction and $10 billion in additional Homeland Security funding. ICE now has a bigger budget than the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons combined, according to an analysis by the American Immigration Council. Public has begun pushing back against Trump's immigration policies The increased funding for one of Trump's signature policies comes as the American public appears to be growing increasingly concerned about the tactics being deployed. A July 20 poll by CBS/YouGov found that 56% of Americans disapproved of the president's immigration measures, while 44% approved, a 10-point drop from February. While Trump and Homan argue that anyone living illegally in the United States is by definition a criminal, federal statistics show that only about 36% of current ICE detainees have ever been convicted of a crime, while 31% have pending criminal charges and the remaining 33% are facing just immigration violations, according to analysis by Austin Kocher, a Syracuse University research assistant professor who tracks ICE data. The nonprofit American Immigration Council criticized the massive funding expansion, which came without any fundamental reform to the nation's immigration process. Many immigrants living in the United States entered under policies that were legal at the time, or have been waiting years for the chance to apply for citizenship. "Throwing billions at detention centers and enforcement agents is short-sighted. Instead, we should be investing in a system aimed at welcoming immigrants that contribute billions to our economy," said Adriel Orozco, senior policy counsel at the American Immigration Council. "We don't need more jail beds and indiscriminate raids. We need balanced solutions that strengthen due process and keep families together."
USA Today
16 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
'Flood' of ICE agents is coming to cities run by Democrats, White House warns
Migrant-rights groups worry that harsher enforcement will lead to more civil rights violations and prompt community pushback. White House border czar Tom Homan is promising to "flood" cities run by Democrats with immigration agents, as the Trump administration ramps up border enforcement. Congress earlier this month gave the Trump administration more than $170 billion over the next four years to dramatically scale up enforcement, detention and deportation, and Homan said Americans living in so-called "sanctuary cities" can expect to see far more agents on the street soon. "We're going to flood the zone," Homan said at a July 21 press conference. "Sanctuary cities get exactly what they don't want: more agents in the community and more agents in the work site. When we arrest (a suspected illegal immigrant) in the community, if he's with others that are in the country illegally, they're coming too." Sanctuary cities won't help with ICE arrests The White House has repeatedly singled out cities from Los Angeles to Denver to Boston for their refusal to assist ICE agents making detentions, and Homan has threatened to arrest elected officials who stymie the president. Migrant-rights groups warn increased enforcement raises the risk of more civil rights violations and violent confrontations, like the chaotic protests that broke out in Los Angeles last month following Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at a Home Depot, among other locations. Homan spoke in New York City after an off-duty Border Patrol agent was injured during an attempted robbery that officials say was committed by an undocumented immigrant. Homan and other White House officials argue the agent would never have been hurt if his alleged assailant had previously been blocked from entering the country or deported. Trump officials have long complained that many cities run by Democrats refuse to honor requests to detain people on behalf of ICE in local jails, and Homan said doing so makes it harder for ICE to arrest "bad guys" in the safety of a detention center. He said making street arrests is more dangerous for everyone, requiring more personnel to operate safely. Federal officials say there's been an 800% increase in assaults against immigration agents, although they have declined to release comprehensive data. Last month, Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal buildings and assist ICE agents in making detentions, a move that temporarily escalated tensions. ICE has conducted immigration enforcement actions around the country, but it's yet to focus a sustained effort in any particular sanctuary city outside of the Los Angeles area. Budget balloons for immigrant arrests and detentions The federal spending plan, among other things, provides funding for 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to help carry out Trump's plan to deport 1 million people annually. Trump won the White House after campaigning on a platform that included dramatically stricter immigration enforcement and border controls, and the federal funding plan he signed July 4 provides money to dramatically expand the number of ICE agents on the streets, $45 billion for more than 100,000 new detention beds for people facing deportation, $46.6 billion for border wall construction and $10 billion in additional Homeland Security funding. ICE now has a bigger budget than the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons combined, according to an analysis by the American Immigration Council. Public has begun pushing back against Trump's immigration policies The increased funding for one of Trump's signature policies comes as the American public appears to be growing increasingly concerned about the tactics being deployed. A July 20 poll by CBS/YouGov found that 56% of Americans disapproved of the president's immigration measures, while 44% approved, a 10-point drop from February. While Trump and Homan argue that anyone living illegally in the United States is by definition a criminal, federal statistics show that only about 36% of current ICE detainees have ever been convicted of a crime, while 31% have pending criminal charges and the remaining 33% are facing just immigration violations, according to analysis by Austin Kocher, a Syracuse University research assistant professor who tracks ICE data. The nonprofit American Immigration Council criticized the massive funding expansion, which came without any fundamental reform to the nation's immigration process. Many immigrants living in the United States entered under policies that were legal at the time, or have been waiting years for the chance to apply for citizenship. 'Throwing billions at detention centers and enforcement agents is short-sighted. Instead, we should be investing in a system aimed at welcoming immigrants that contribute billions to our economy,' said Adriel Orozco, senior policy counsel at the American Immigration Council. 'We don't need more jail beds and indiscriminate raids. We need balanced solutions that strengthen due process and keep families together.'
