Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, has escalated his threat to inundate New York City with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. Speaking on Fox News's The Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham on Wednesday, Homan responded to a clip of New York Governor Kathy Hochul asserting that Trump had promised no federal surge would occur without her request, adding, 'I'm not asking.'
Homan chuckled and replied, 'Well Governor Hochul, I'm not asking either. I said it. We're going to do it.' He accused Hochul of erecting legislative barriers that would hinder the capture of undocumented migrants suspected of criminal activity, potentially endangering U.S. citizens. 'She wants to end the partnerships we currently have, which means now we have to send a whole team to look for a criminal that we could have arrested in the safety and security of a jail,' Homan said. 'So you're forcing us into the neighborhoods to find this person... Now we've got to send whole teams out there to find this person so of course we're going to increase manpower, a lot.'
Homan further criticized Hochul's policies for complicating detention logistics, noting that without cooperation from New York sheriffs, ICE would have to fly detainees to facilities in Texas or Arizona, separating them from their families and attorneys. 'This is what we have to do because she forces this position. And we're going to do it,' he declared.
Later in the interview, Homan accused Hochul of 'trying to turn the American people against ICE' by spreading false narratives, denying that agents had ever arrested anyone in hospitals, elementary schools, or churches. He warned, 'You're going to see more ICE agents than you've ever seen before. So, congratulations.'
On Tuesday, Homan had told a border security conference that he would be forced to 'flood the zone' if New York passed legislation granting sanctuary protections to undocumented migrants. The proposed bills would limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities and restrict where civil deportation warrants can be executed. Hochul has also pushed for measures to block ICE agents from covering their faces and to allow citizens to sue the agency for constitutional violations.
Governor Hochul's actions aim to prevent a repeat of the unrest seen in Minnesota in January, when Operation Metro Surge led to widespread protests and two demonstrators being shot dead. Democratic state senator Pat Fahy told Politico that Homan's threats only strengthened lawmakers' resolve to pass the bills. 'If anything, it makes me want to double down,' he said. 'We have to show that when you have people who are out on the streets like a reign of terror, armed masked agents wreaking havoc, we have to show it will not be tolerated.'
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson endorsed Homan's position, stating, 'If local law enforcement refuses to cooperate with federal law enforcement to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from their communities, more ICE officers will be needed to remove these public safety threats. The Trump administration will never allow criminal illegal aliens to have sanctuary in American cities.'
