Border czar Tom Homan defended on Sunday the practice of ICE officers wearing masks while conducting illegal immigration enforcement operations. During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union, Homan explained the rationale behind ICE officers wearing masks and why it is vital.
“Let’s talk about the masks,” said Homan. “You don’t see ICE wearing masks inside the airports because they’re not on the street arresting criminals, [where] you have the agitators who cross the line and threaten ICE agents. The same people in the Democratic Congress that want ICE to take off the masks, are the same people who say ICE is going to shoot people inside airports.”
“I mean, they can’t have it both ways,” Homan said. “So if you want ICE to take the masks off, the threat level has to decrease. It’s up, 8000% increase in threats against ICE officers, and that’s because a lot of the rhetoric coming from the Hill.”
Homan went on to specify the inflammatory and incendiary comments that have created the current environment that endangers ICE officers. Homan specified the practice of linking ICE officers to Nazis, among others. He also mentioned the spread of falsehoods in recent weeks, such as claiming that ICE officers at airports are going to shoot people.
“Stop calling ICE Nazis and racists,” Homan said. Stop saying they’re going to shoot people inside airports. That’s going to drive the threat level down, and we can talk about masks.”
As Homan mentioned, ICE officers have faced a significant increase in threats since President Donald Trump implemented illegal immigration efforts at the beginning of his second term. In addition to the 8000% increase in threats Homan mentioned, subsequent violent encounters with protesters and agitators have led to “a more than 1300% increase in assaults against them,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Our ICE law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from American neighborhoods,” said former DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in January. Make no mistake, threatening rhetoric and this unprecedented violence against our law enforcement is incited by sanctuary politicians through their repeated vilification and demonization of law enforcement. Comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences.”
“The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop,” she added at the time.
TSA OFFICERS TO BE PAID AS EARLY AS MONDAY, HOMAN SAYS
Homan also preached synergy and collaborative efforts in future illegal immigration enforcement operations. He also suggested that politicians who were unsatisfied with ICE procedures should work to change the law. He also noted that during the Biden administration, the law that existed was not enforced.
“We got to work together at this, but ICE is doing the same thing they’ve done during 40 years I’ve been doing it,” said Homan. “Again, they’re enforcing the laws they enacted. If they don’t like it, change the law. The law hasn’t changed. The difference is, under the last four years of Joe Biden, they weren’t enforcing the law.”
“Now, ICE is actually enforcing the law, doing their job, and they don’t like it,” Homan said. “If they don’t like what ICE is doing, change the law.”
