The next is the transcript of the interview with Tom Homan, Trump administration border czar, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Feb. 15, 2026.
ED O’KEEFE: Good morning and welcome to ‘Face The Nation.’ Margaret is off at this time. Washington is waking as much as one other funding standoff, and it is unclear at this level when it may finish, as congress is on recess for one more week. So for extra on the controversy over immigration enforcement techniques, we’re joined by White Home border czar Tom Homan. Mr. Homan, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
TOM HOMAN: Thanks for having me.
ED O’KEEFE: I need to start, after all, with negotiations over reopening the Division of Homeland Safety. They focus on some particular coverage adjustments Democrats demand in how immigration brokers conduct operations. Amongst different issues, they’d prefer to require immigration brokers to indicate identification, put on physique cameras, take off their masks, cease racial profiling and search judicial warrants to enter non-public property. Which, if any of these asks are- is the president, are you keen consider- or keen to think about adopting?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, I am not part of these negotiations. That is being as being performed up on the hill between Senate and Home and the White Home. I am probably not a part of these negotiations. However look, , they need to say, cease racial profiling. That is simply not occurring. I imply, ICE will detain, briefly detain and query, however query any individual based mostly on cheap suspicion. It has nothing to do with racial profiling. So far as the masks look, , I do not just like the masks both, however as a result of threats towards ICE officers, , are up over 1500% precise assaults and threats are up over 8000%. These women and men have to guard themselves. So far as figuring out themselves, all of them have placards figuring out themselves as ICE, ERO, HSI, DEA, FBI, so all of them have placards on them. So I will let the White Home and members of Congress, , combat that out. However I feel among the asks are just- I feel they’re unreasonable as a result of there isn’t any racial profiling. There’s figuring out marks, however masks, , why do not they discuss perhaps passing laws to make it unlawful to dox brokers or one thing like that? However the masks proper now are for officer security causes.
ED O’KEEFE: There are federal legal guidelines, after all, towards injuring, harming, threatening federal authorities, so there may be that. And I feel one of many issues that individuals get hung up on is the concept the cop on the road of their neighborhood, a state police officer, different federal brokers will establish themselves with their title on their lapel. And sure, their using company. However why ought to these immigration brokers be any totally different and in terms of the masks as nicely? You realize, cops exit day by day, in every single place throughout the nation get threatened in a technique or another–
TOM HOMAN: –I do not know of–
ED O’KEEFE: However why- why must put on all that and shield themselves when there are others on the market sporting badges that do not have to do this?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, once more, they’re sporting badges. They’re sporting placards to establish what company they’re from–
ED O’KEEFE: However their title is not on it, proper?
TOM HOMAN: In relation to masks I do not I- I do not know of one other regulation enforcement company within the nation that has an 8,000% improve in threats. Simply yesterday, the director of ICE his spouse was filmed strolling to work. His dwelling tackle has been doxed. His children have been doxed and filmed. So no, I do not know of one other company on this nation that has an 8000% improve. And look, let’s keep in mind why we’re right here, Ed. We’re right here as a result of the final 4 years, over 10 million unlawful aliens crossed that border, launched on this nation unvetted ICE has to do a regulation enforcement response to take care of the final 4 years open border, the place they declare the border was safe day by day and it wasn’t.
ED O’KEEFE: What’s so improper about acquiring a judicial warrant to enter non-public property?
TOM HOMAN: That is not what the federal regulation requires. Congress themselves wrote the Immigration Nationality Act that gave energy on the executive warrant to arrest any individual, and that is what’s arrange in federal statutes. So if Congress desires that change, then Congress can legislate. However proper now, ICE is performing inside the framework of federal statutes enacted by Congress and signed by a president.
ED O’KEEFE: Effectively, as I recall, you might have beforehand mentioned that you just thought judicial warrants had been crucial for searches. There’s been this transformation in coverage in that now ICE can go together with these administrative warrants which might be issued by ICE personnel. Why your change of coronary heart? I imply, clearly there- at one level, not less than you agreed that was crucial.
TOM HOMAN: No, I haven’t got a modified coronary heart. What I perceive, and I wasn’t a part of these discussions, is that DOJ interpret that regulation saying in certain- in sure circumstances, administrative warrant on any individual has a ultimate order elimination already had a due course of issued by a [unintelligible] decide that may enter a premises. I am not part of that dialogue, however that is the DOJ steering.
ED O’KEEFE: Final week, you introduced the months lengthy operation often called Metro Surge in Minnesota is winding down. ICE, after all, goes to keep up a presence within the state, however not on the ranges we have seen in current weeks. If issues hold winding down, when ought to that surge be over?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, look about as of we already eliminated nicely over 1000 folks, and as of Monday, Tuesday, we’ll take away a number of hundred extra. We’ll get again to the unique footprint, excluding the brokers there to do the fraud investigation, will keep there and proceed their work till they’re performed. The brokers investigating the church subject the place the folks went into the church, they’re going to keep and get that work performed. However there’ll be- there shall be a small drive, a safety drive, what we name RFQs, that will- our safety forces, that may reply to when our brokers are out they usually get surrounded by agitators and issues received uncontrolled, they usually’ll stay for a brief time frame, simply to verify the coordination, the agreements we’ve got with native state regulation enforcement, keep in place, they usually reply to a public security menace when wanted. And so hopefully these safety forces- safety a small footprint, safety forces can take away, might be eliminated actually pretty shortly. I am hoping. I feel issues are going the proper path, and I received religion they’re going to proceed that method.
ED O’KEEFE: This was the biggest deployment of federal immigration brokers in division historical past. Do you anticipate there shall be others on the dimensions seen in Minneapolis?
TOM HOMAN: I feel it relies on the state of affairs. I’ve mentioned from day one which, we’d like to- we have to flood the zone in sanctuary cities with further brokers. The variety of brokers rely on the state of affairs on the bottom. What number of identified prison targets are on the market? As a result of we all know we’ve got an issue with sanctuary cities, as a result of we all know they’re releasing public security threats within the public so reasonably than arrest that one prison in jail, one agent wrestling one prison alien, the protection, and safety of a jail, which is safer for the agent, safer for the aliens, safer for the group, they launch them on the street. Now we received to ship an entire staff, or six or seven folks. That could be a win we had in Minnesota. All people- as a result of now we’ve got agreements and coordination with jails, we are able to relaxation that public security menace within the security safety of jail, which suggests we do not have to ship six or seven folks out to search for them. So, I am hoping different sanctuary cities take a look at what was- what occurred in Minnesota, and the way we- how we received to the place reds, which I feel is an effective place. I hope extra folks take note of that, and we work with the states to let our officers within the jail. You’ll be able to’t- lots of politicians are on the market on the left or the Democrats saying, okay, ICE, we agree. Try to be specializing in public security threats. Try to be specializing in unlawful aliens who’ve dedicated critical crimes on this nation, however they lock us out of the jail. You’ll be able to’t sq. that. In the event you actually need us to give attention to the criminals, then allow us to within the jail. That is the most secure, most safe place to do our work.
ED O’KEEFE: Just a few different issues shortly, if we are able to, because the surge winds down in Minneapolis, one of many extra dramatic incidents now could be very a lot in query. As , two ICE brokers now on administrative depart pending an inside investigation as a result of video proof reveals their sworn testimony seems to have been untruthful. Solely hours after that incident occurred, you may recall DHS had mentioned the ICE officer who shot the migrant they had been focusing on was being ambushed and feared for his life. That now seems to be unfaithful. You are taking that incident mixed with the 2 lethal shootings in Minneapolis and an incident in Chicago lately the place proof contradicted the federal government’s declare a girl rammed an agent’s automobile, and I’m wondering, does this all simply additional undermine belief in ICE throughout the nation?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, look, , my first press convention in Minnesota, I mentioned I used to be bringing further inside affairs brokers in, simply to verify officers within the subject was doing the proper factor. And each a kind of cases you simply talked about had been turned over to inside affairs. I do know the FBI is investigating the instances additionally, so we’ll see the place these investigations lead. However because the ICE Director mentioned on Friday, folks shall be held accountable they usually’ll be totally investigated, and nevertheless that investigation comes out, then disciplinary motion or prosecutions will happen.
ED O’KEEFE: Proper. A Wall Road Journal report printed in current days, I am positive you have seen it, particulars widespread considerations with the management of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem and her chief advisor, Corey Lewandowski. The report says you not often converse with the Secretary or Lewandowski, although you oversee immigration points as nicely from the White Home perspective, and that you have repeatedly complained to the White Home about them. What’s your concern with Secretary Noem and Corey Lewandowski?
TOM HOMAN: Look, it is one staff, one combat. I am not taking part in in that media. They’re attempting to divide this administration. They need to assault the women and men who work on this administration. Look, do me and Secretary Noem agree on all the things? No. That is why we’ve got discussions. That is why day by day we’ve got a multi-agency convention name and assembly. We talk about going ahead, and we’ve got totally different opinions. Effectively, these totally different opinions are labored out, and we transfer ahead. The underside line is, we’ve got probably the most safe border in historical past on this nation. We received report numbers of prison aliens arrested and deported on this nation as a result of that is one staff, one combat. The outcomes converse for themselves.
ED O’KEEFE: However you do not dispute, you have had disagreements with them at occasions, even when they have been resolved?
TOM HOMAN: I’ve a disagreement with we got- we received many federal businesses, and it is not it’s- not like a uncontrolled disagreement. I need to do it this fashion. Somebody desires to do it this fashion. Then we discuss what works finest on this state of affairs. All of us come to settlement in the long run, but it surely’s a dialogue of various concepts. I have been doing this for 40 years. We’ve the- Rodney Scott that runs CBP. He is been doing it for 30 years. So all of us come to the desk. We provide you with totally different concepts, however we decide on a mission, and I feel the outcomes of this mission speaks for themselves. Once more, probably the most safe border in historical past of this nation, due to our collaboration and report numbers of prison aliens being arrested and deported. The outcomes converse for themselves.
ED O’KEEFE: Tom Homan, the White Home border czar thanks for spending a few of your Sunday with us. We admire it. ‘Face the Nation,’ we’ll be again in a single minute. Stick with us.
