Pete Davidson returned to Saturday Night Live this week, playing border czar Tom Homan in a cold open that skewered the poorly trained Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis. The sketch came after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both killed by federal agents in incidents initially defended by the Trump administration but later contradicted by bystander video.
Davidson's Homan addressed a group of federal agents, who quickly revealed a lack of training. When asked about the use of force, one agent suggested they wanted to avoid it entirely, while another mistakenly responded with "Don Lemon" when asked what they were keeping America safe from. Lemon, a journalist, was arrested on federal charges related to covering an anti-ICE protest and has been defended by First Amendment groups.
The sketch referenced the removal of Greg Bovino, the previous head of the Minnesota operation, who was dismissed after being filmed allegedly lying about the shooting of an American citizen and dressing like a Nazi. Davidson's Homan noted that the issue was not the actions themselves but being filmed, adding that he was making the agents look like the "upstanding, reasonable adult in the room" despite his own history with family separation and an alleged $50,000 bribe.
The skit ended with Homan telling agents to show restraint and avoid violating rights, but their response suggested they would simply try not to get filmed. Neither Good nor Pretti were mentioned by name, but the sketch alluded to the fact that Pretti was carrying a weapon, though bystander video did not show him brandishing it.
