‘I’m Sure’: Trump Border Czar Says ICE Agents Certainly Detain U.S. Citizens — ‘But We Don’t Deport Them’

Trump border czar Tom Homan admitted on Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have most likely detained U.S. citizens while sweeping for undocumented migrants.

During a gaggle outside the White House, a reporter asked how Homan makes sure that U.S. citizens and legal immigrants are protected from deportation operations.

“We do our job,” Homan answered. “If you’re a U.S. citizen, you’ve got nothing to fear. We deport people that are going to be deportable. We arrest people that will be deportable based on suspicion. Have U.S. citizens ever been shortly detained based on suspicion? I’m sure. I’m sure,” he repeated. “You know, if you have reasonable suspicion on aliens, and once you do that, you’ve got reasonable suspicion for a short detention. And once it is determined, Okay, you’re not the guy we’re looking for, you are released. But we don’t deport U.S. citizens.”

Earlier during the gaggle, Homan raged against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for declaring she wanted no part of ICE in her state.

“Governor Hochul has said — pull up her clips from the last year — ‘ICE should be concentrating on criminals.’ I support that,” Homan said.

“Well, how do you square that by locking us out of the jail?” he asked.

“And it’s all based on a bunch of lies. Lies from the left that says ICE is arresting people in churches, schools, and hospitals. And I challenge… any of you to give an example where ICE has arrested someone in a church. One example where we arrested anyone in a hospital or elementary school. The only people who violate the sanctity of a church is Don Lemon and that group. We have not.”

On Wednesday night’s Ingraham Angle on Fox News, Homan issued a warning to Hochul that he would “flood the zone” with ICE officers since she said she had no plans to invite federal agents into her state.

“Well, Governor Hochul, I’m not asking either. I said it. We’re going to do it,” he told host Laura Ingraham.

Homan added, “This is what we have to do because she forces this position. And we’re going to do it. They’re not going to stop us. They can put all the roadblocks they want, but we’re [going to] do this job.”

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

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