In a defiant tone that evokes the crudest promises of the electoral campaign, the “border czar” of the White House, Tom Homan reaffirmed that Donald Trump’s administration is preparing for an unprecedented scale of immigration operations.
Homan reported that some 7,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) agents have already begun to be deployed in nearly 40 states and that another 3,000 are in training.
According to figures provided by the official, ICE currently makes around 1,200 arrests daily and during the last year detained more than half a million undocumented immigrants. Trump had promised during his campaign to reach one million deportations annually.
Speaking at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Homan Not only did he promise that “mass deportations” are an imminent reality, but he issued a direct warning to jurisdictions that refuse to collaborate: they will be “flooded” with federal agents.
Homan defended the immigration strategy of the Republican administration and rejected criticism coming even from conservative sectors linked to the MAGA movement, who consider the number of deportations carried out so far to be insufficient.
“They haven’t seen anything yet,” the official said before an audience made up of agents from the Department of Homeland Security. and security specialists. “Massive deportations are coming,” he added.
The so-called “border czar” maintained that the federal government is preparing to significantly increase detentions and expulsions of undocumented immigrants, while illegal crossings on the southern border decrease.
Homan warned NY what would happen if Albany Dems kept obstructing ICE.
Hochul overlooked the warning anyway & now American citizens are at possibility all to offer protection to criminal illegal aliens.
If she refuses to position into impress the law, don’t be shocked when ICE ramps up operations to offer protection to American citizens. https://t.co/cAyY4Vat0n
—Win. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) May possibly per chance also 7, 2026
The White House toughens the immigration discourse after months of controversies
Homan’s statements occur at a delicate moment for the federal government’s immigration policyafter several high-profile operations carried out in cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Los Angeles that provoked protests and strong criticism from civil organizations.
Tension increased especially after two American citizens died during clashes related to immigration raids in Minneapolis, events that raised questions about the use of force in federal operations.
Following these incidents, the Trump administration attempted to publicly moderate the tone of its immigration strategy. White House officials recommended focusing the message on the deportation of people with criminal records and threats to public safety, avoiding insisting on the concept of “mass deportations.”
However, Homan made it clear that the policy will not be limited solely to immigrants with criminal records. “I don’t care how long they have been here. If they entered illegally, they violated the law,” the official declared.who acknowledged that between 35% and 40% of people arrested have no criminal record.
The advisor maintained that the arrests of immigrants without a criminal record are part of a strategy to send “a message to the rest of the world.”
Border Czar Tom Homan pushed encouragement on so‑known as “sanctuary cities” after EWTN requested whether cooperation with them is improving. He argued that new insurance policies, love those in Contemporary York, draw it harder for ICE to arrest criminal suspects in jails and power extra risky arrests on the… pic.twitter.com/lwdSmCszUN
— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) May possibly also per chance 7, 2026
ICE will increase operations in sanctuary states
Homan also issued direct warnings against states and cities that have passed laws to limit collaboration between local police and federal immigration authorities.
“We are going to flood the area,” he said, referring to future ICE operations in jurisdictions considered “sanctuary.”
The official warned that the increase in agents will also cause more collateral arrests, that is, people who were not specific targets of the raids, but who are detained during the operations.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul publicly rejected the possibility of a massive expansion of immigration agents in her state and criticized the federal approach.
Meanwhile, the White House continues to adjust its immigration strategy ahead of the legislative electionsin a context where immigration policies continue to be one of the most polarizing issues in the United States.
Homan, for his part, assured that he will maintain his position despite the criticism. “I don’t care what people think of me,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing this until my last breath.”
Keep reading:
- Is Trump open to granting Green Cards to certain undocumented immigrants? This is what Tom Homan says.
- ICE renounces express training for its new agents sent to detain immigrants
- DHS closes office that oversaw abuses and rights of detained migrants
