President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan got into verbal fisticuffs on July 19, 2026, with “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, stating that rhetoric being used by Democratic members of Congress has been emboldening people to confront federal immigration officers such as those with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump brought an end to a pause he had briefly placed on the use of vehicle stops that were originally ordered by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin after two incidents involving illegal aliens who were shot and killed by ICE agents. The individuals who died were allegedly trying to run over agents with their vehicles. Brennan attempted to discuss the two incidents, but Homan refused to provide comment on them.
“I don’t want to get ahead of investigations on who’s at fault, what exactly happened,” Homan told the seasoned anchor. “Because we all know, when the investigations happen, there’s going to be cell phone video, there may be city cameras, and, of course, then you got witness statements and affidavits from the officer and witnesses.”
“So we got to let the investigations play out. So, I don’t want to really comment on investigation[s] themselves, but … I think … Markwayne Mullin, you know, took some action, and, in concern of the safety of the agents and how we do operations. And that’s why he did that, you know, that pause on enforcement on vehicle stops,” Homan continued, according to The Daily Caller.
“But you know, my concern is … I’ve done this since 1984. My concern is I think a lot of the rhetoric that you see every day — especially in sanctuary cities and at these protests that resist, members of Congress saying ICE isn’t a real law enforcement agency — … I actually think that emboldens some people to say, ‘I’m not going to comply with ICE,’” Homan explained to Brennan during the interview.
Homan then pointed out that law enforcement agencies do vehicle stops on a routine basis and deal with mistaken identity “all the time,” which then led to Brennan raising the question of using unmarked vehicles during ICE operations, claiming that doing so doesn’t allow folks to recognize they are being stopped by some form of law enforcement.
“No, they have emergency lights. Officers have insignia, so when they get out of that car and approach the car, you can clearly see the law enforcement officers,” Homan told the host. Brennan replied, “Well, in the video that has been [made] public it’s not a marked car.” The border czar responded, “I’m not saying it’s a marked car, but they have emergency lights and sirens. So when they pull someone over, they want to activate the emergency lights.”
"*" indicates required fields
“A lot of police departments — I’m in New York City right now — a lot of NYPD [New York Police Department] officers are driving unmarked vehicles, and that helps them find people that don’t want to be found,” Homan continued. According to the report, police in the Big Apple make use of both unmarked cars and leased vehicles for use in specific operations.
Homan also ripped into Democrats for delaying the deployment of body cameras, which he stated would “exonerate” officers involved in incidents with both left-wing protesters and illegal aliens. “You can have a cell phone camera from a witness on the side. You can have, you know, city cameras or whatever, but I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he makes … the decision and takes the action,” he said. “I think the American people need to see what that officer sees and hears.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video