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Border Czar Tom Homan pushed back hard against Democrat proposals to reform immigration enforcement, in an interview with CBS.
In the interview on “Face the Nation,” which aired on Sunday, Homan said that although he doesn’t like immigration agents wearing masks, they are necessary for their protection.
“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers, you know, are up over 1,500 percent, actual assaults and threats are up over 8,000 percent, these men and women have to protect themselves,” Homan said.
He also rejected other proposals for reform, including demands that ICE agents wear body cameras at al times, obtain judicial warrants before entering properties and stop racially profiling individuals during their sweeps.
“They want to say, stop racial profiling. That’s just not occurring,” Homan said.
“I mean, ICE will detain, briefly detain and question, but question somebody based on reasonable suspicion. It has nothing to do with racial profiling.”
Homan also reiterated the threats that immigrant agents are facing from activists.
“Just yesterday, the director of ICE, his wife, was filmed walking to work,” Homan stated.
“His home address has been doxed. His kids have been doxed and filmed. So no, I don’t know of another agency in this country that has an 8,000 percent increase [in assaults and threats].”
He also said that immigration enforcement is taking place legally, within the scope of the law.
“Congress themselves wrote the Immigration Nationality Act that gave power on the administrative warrant to arrest somebody, and that’s what’s set up in federal statutes.
“So if Congress wants that change, then Congress can legislate. But right now, ICE is acting within the framework of federal statutes enacted by Congress and signed by a president.”
Last week, Homan said Operation Metro Surge, a large scale immigration-enforcement operation in Minnesota, led to the arrest of over 4,000 people and also the location of 3,364 missing children.
