Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s point man for mass deportations and border security, shot back Monday at critics who claim the administration is only going after illegal immigrants without violent criminal records, straying from Trump’s vow to go after the “worst of the worst.”
“Same as day one, national security threats, public safety threats are always the priority,” Homan told reporters outside the White House. “But if you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table.”
“I see people saying we’re arresting noncriminals. Well, they’re in the country illegally. That’s our job.”
Homan said that when tracking down illegal immigrants with criminal records, they might be with others in the country illegally, especially in cities that have declared themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. He said if that’s the case, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will sweep everyone up.
“This is a problem in sanctuary cities, when we go into a community [to] find a criminal, many times they’re with others that may not be a criminal target, but they’re in the United States illegally,” he said. “They’re coming, too. We’re going to enforce immigration law.”
“Unlike the last administration, where [Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas instructed ICE, ‘You can’t arrest an illegal alien for simply being here illegally; they have to be convicted of a serious criminal offense.’ He rewrote the law. That’s not what the law says. We’re going to enforce the law. That’s what the people put President Trump in office to do, and that’s what we’re doing,” said Homan.
ICE statistics revealed the number of illegal immigrants arrested with no other criminal charges or convictions and then detained rose from about 860 in January to 11,800 as of June 15 — an increase of nearly 1,300%, Reuters reported. Those arrested and detained with criminal charges or convictions also rose but at a lower rate of 101%.
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