Border czar Tom Homan told Newsmax on Thursday that sanctuary cities like New York City should work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest criminal migrants if they want to see fewer collateral arrests.
"For the naysayers, the city council who wants nothing to do with ICE, they need to understand: If we arrest the bad guy at Rikers Island, then the alien's safe, the officer's safe, the community's safe," Homan said on "American Agenda."
"But when you release that public safety threat back into the public, what do I have to do? We got to send law enforcement officers in that community, and we will find him.
"But when we find him, he's going to be with others — others who aren't a criminal priority, but they're going to be in the country illegally. So we're going to arrest them, too," he said.
"So the sanctuary city's going to get exactly what they don't want: more collateral arrests, more noncriminal arrests, and more officers in their neighborhood."
When asked if he's seeing the leaders of sanctuary cities dig in on their policies or reconsider, Homan said he's seen "a little movement" and pointed to a meeting he had earlier in the day with New York City Mayor Eric Adams about reopening the ICE office on Rikers Island.
"The meeting with the mayor today, Mayor Eric Adams, was a good move. A year ago, we wouldn't have this meeting," Homan said.
"I know [Illinois] Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker, who I have zero respect in, he's even talking about: 'Well, we should hand criminals over.' Now, [New York] Gov. [Kathy] Hochul, she came out, after the violence here in New York City: 'Well, ... criminal aliens should be removed.'
"Well, I can't do it if you don't want me in Rikers Island. I can't do it with your sanctuary policies," he said.
"On one side of her mouth, she wants public safety threats removed, but she don't give us the access to arrest them."
Homan said he will consider his job done if he is able to "remove every public safety threat to the United States" during his tenure.
"Get them out of here," he said. "Every Tren de Aragua member — every single one —we need eradicated from the country. So if they're watching, you need to get the hell out because we're coming for you. And if we can criminally prosecute them, we will."
The border czar also called President Donald Trump's whole-of-government approach in going after criminal migrants "genius," and said that if migrants are found with guns or drugs, they'll be charged and prosecuted before being deported.
"It's just not immigration consequences; it's all of government," Homan said. "Tren de Aragua? We'll put you in 'Gitmo,' then we'll deport you."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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