Tom Homan clarifies Trump deportation strategy after MAGA backlash

Border czar Tom Homan said on Fox News Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not back down from worksite enforcement.

The Trump administration halted immigration arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels after Trump raised concerns about economic fallout, despite a recent surge in enforcement driven by Stephen Miller and his push for 3,000 daily arrests. During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Homan said operations targeting criminal enterprises at U.S. workplaces remain a cornerstone of ICE’s mission under President Donald Trump.

“Look, like everything else, [the] president’s prioritizing public safety threats and national security threats. When it comes to worksites, we prioritize those operations too. Many places, we will target the worksite enforcement operations. It’s gonna have to do with forced labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and criminal investigations. Where they’re not paying taxes, there’s tax evasion or they’re funding cartel activity,” Homan said when guest host Kayleigh McEnany asked about the Trump administration’s shift of deportation focus.

Homan said that while ICE agents will continue to follow the president’s direction, the focus remains squarely on criminal conduct.

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“We prioritize worksite investigation, too. We’ll prioritize them like we do everything else, but worksite enforcement operations, it’s a tenet of what we’re doing. It’s important. What we’re doing, we’ll continue those,” Homan said.

When asked about morale within ICE amid public backlash, including doxxing incidents, Homan answered head-on.

“Morale is high. Agents are used to being attacked. Yeah, they’re getting doxed. I’m getting doxed. My family gets doxed,” Homan said. “When you attack an ICE officer, you’re attacking 20,000 of them because the camaraderie in ICE is tight. So when they double down, we triple down.”

Before defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris in a sweeping electoral victory, Trump campaigned on a tough immigration platform centered on border wall expansion, ending birthright citizenship, and mass deportations. Trump later said he would declare a national emergency and mobilize the military to carry out those removals.

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