White House border czar Tom Homan on Friday accused Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger of abandoning law enforcement principles she touted during her congressional campaign and of failing to support federal immigration enforcement efforts in her state.
In remarks to "Ruthless" co-host John Ashbrook, Homan, a veteran immigration enforcement official in the Trump administration, said Spanberger's past campaign messaging, including ads highlighting her record as a former federal law enforcement officer who helped rescue children from trafficking, rings hollow now that she serves as governor.
"I'm a resident of Virginia and Spanberger — I remember her campaign ads. 'I'm a law enforcement officer. I rescued children from sex trafficking.' I've seen the commercials," Homan said.
"So, first day in office, she stops being a law enforcement officer and became a politician. Because where's all those commercials you did about supporting law enforcement and rescuing kids?"
Homan said the Trump administration has made progress on finding missing children, claiming that federal authorities located 130,000 missing minors, many of whom he said were victims of trafficking or forced labor.
"We already found 130,000 of those missing kids. The last administration wasn't even looking for them," Homan said.
"Many of these children were victims of sex trafficking and forced labor. We're tearing apart these trafficking rings. We're looking for these missing children. We're arresting criminal aliens, many of them like just [in] the last two weeks in Minnesota. A lot of them were sexual predators of children. Child rape."
Homan questioned the stance of Spanberger, who was sworn in as governor Jan. 17.
"Where's she gone? She's a different person than what she ran on," he said.
Spanberger, a former representative whose district included parts of Central Virginia, has in past statements supported a balanced approach to immigration policy that combines border security with humanitarian protections, though she has also backed some bipartisan enforcement measures.
A spokesperson for Spanberger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite his criticism, Homan said he remains hopeful that federal enforcement teams can work with state and local authorities in Virginia under Spanberger's tenure, but he expressed skepticism.
"Well, we'll work around it," he said. "We're working around that in New York and California and Oregon and Illinois. These states are not friendly. They won't work with ICE. So, it just means we've got to send more resources to those states because it makes our job harder."
Homan said he is frustrated with jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, describing the process as less efficient.
"If they work with us, one agent can arrest one illegal alien in a county jail," he said. "Give us access to the person that you locked in a jail cell, and they're in the country illegally. When you're done, you give them to us.
"That's the most efficient way to do it. But when you are knowingly going to release public safety threats in the community, now we've got to send a whole team out looking for them."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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