Border czar Tom Homan urged Democratic politicians to moderate their language regarding immigration officials earlier this week, following the shooting of a Texas police officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center last weekend.
“The language directed at the men and women of ICE is escalating, particularly from members of Congress,” Homan stated during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday. “We have senators and congresspeople who equate ICE with the Nazis, equate ICE with racists, and this trend continues. Consequently, the public perceives that if a member of Congress can criticize ICE, why shouldn’t they?”
He cautioned that the rhetoric “must cease,” warning, “or it’s only a matter of time before one of the ICE officers is harmed or a criminal is harmed. We have already witnessed an officer being injured.”
Reports indicate that the inflammatory language has predominantly originated from Democratic lawmakers, rather than Republicans.
Authorities reported that the officer was shot in the neck a week ago near the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security disclosed that over a dozen agitators vandalized federal vehicles by slashing tires and damaging security cameras at the ICE facility. This incident occurs amidst ongoing protests outside a DHS detention center in Portland, which were ignited by backlash against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Homan noted that assaults on ICE officers and federal agents involved in immigration enforcement have surged by nearly 700% compared to the same timeframe last year.
Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced backlash from Republicans in June after comparing federal immigration operations to the Gestapo, the infamous secret police of Nazi Germany. Homan called on politicians from blue states to take greater responsibility in their critiques of immigration officials, emphasizing that these officers also have families and are simply fulfilling the roles for which they were hired and trained.
“We are discussing matters of life and death. The individuals serving in ICE, as well as those in border patrol, are also mothers and fathers. They do not leave their emotions at home when they report for duty,” he stated.
The border czar further informed the demonstrators that if they oppose the nation’s immigration regulations, they ought to “protest Congress.”
The criticism directed at law enforcement occurred shortly after President Trump enacted his $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill” on Friday. This legislation provides funding for 10,000 additional ICE agents and designates $46.5 billion for the construction of a border wall, $45 billion to enhance immigration detention capacity, $30 billion for the hiring and training of ICE personnel, and $6 billion for border technology and surveillance.
Homan expressed that the increased funding will allow immigration officials to function more effectively and “enhance the safety of America.”
“Currently, we have fewer than 5,000 deportation officers at ICE, while there are over 20 million undocumented immigrants in this nation,” he remarked, highlighting the difficulties associated with mass deportations.
