Border czar Tom Homan warned Tuesday that escalating threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers could lead to more violence if political rhetoric against the agency continues unchecked.
Appearing on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Homan said cartel-linked revenge plots and incendiary remarks from elected officials are both fueling the surge in threats against ICE personnel.
“I think the cartels are hurting right now because we’ve got the most secure border in the history of this nation, which hurts their bottom line,” Homan told Newsmax. “They made record amounts of money smuggling dope, smuggling drugs across the country under the Biden administration — sex trafficking women and children and alien smuggling.”
Homan said cartels are now turning to retaliation, working with U.S.-based gangs to target ICE officers.
“The cartels are involved with taking revenge on ICE and using internal gangs in the largest cities of this nation to attack ICE officers,” he said.
But Homan also pointed to what he described as dangerous rhetoric from American political leaders that has emboldened radicals to act violently.
“It’s the rhetoric, especially from elected mayors, elected governors, and elected congresspeople who want to compare ICE to terrorists and the Nazis,” Homan said. “When that far fringe on the left becomes violent against ICE, they feel emboldened when a United States senator or governor says ICE are Nazis or racists. That emboldens them to take more action against ICE officers.”
According to Homan, threats and attacks against ICE have surged “over 1,000%” this year. He cited a string of shootings and assaults at immigration facilities in Texas, including incidents that left detainees dead and an officer wounded in separate incidents.
“I thought maybe the rhetoric would tamp down after that,” Homan said. “But no, they’re not pulling back. They continue to do it.”
Homan condemned activists at last weekend’s “No Kings” protests for inflaming tensions further.
“They’ve lost their minds,” he said. “And I’m telling you, the bloodshed is not over if we don’t address the rhetoric.”
Homan urged critics of immigration enforcement to direct their anger at Congress, not the officers enforcing the law.
“Anybody who wants to protest ICE — you don’t like what ICE is doing — then go up to Congress and protest them, because they wrote the law that ICE is enforcing,” Homan said. “We’ve got to put things in perspective. ICE officers, again, the vast majority of the people they’ve arrested are public safety threats — and we’re going to keep doing it.”
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