Trump’s ‘Border Czar’ being sent to Minnesota was head of ICE Enforcement and Removal under Obama

Homan’s arrival comes as protests intensify across the city after videos and eyewitness accounts of the fatal shooting of Alex Peretti directly contradict the Trump administration’s official narrative. Homan’s planned trip also coincides with growing calls by Republicans and Democrats alike for an independent investigation into immigration enforcement tactics, which have drawn increased scrutiny since agents shot another Minneapolis resident in her car weeks ago.

Here’s what to know about Homan before he arrives in the Twin Cities.

Homan has been working in immigration enforcement for four decades

Homan, 64, began his career in 1984 as a Border Patrol agent before moving to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2003 when the agency was created as part of Homeland Security. He was a relatively low-profile but influential figure in immigration enforcement in the Obama administration, heading ICE’s enforcement and removal operations arm, which was charged with tracking down people with outstanding deportation orders and removing them from the country.

Despite Trump’s unwavering enthusiasm and President Joe Biden’s harsh criticism, he is viewed by some as a voice of restraint and moderation compared to some in the current administration.

Homan, who is widely associated with immigration enforcement actions that separated families, was given a Presidential Rank Award by the Obama administration to promote his effectiveness in 2015.

Homan was at his retirement party in January 2017 when John Kelly, Trump’s pick for Homeland Security secretary, asked him to stay at ICE. Homan agreed after taking a weekend to think about it and has become a leading figure in the Trump administration during four turbulent years.

Under Obama, the United States carried out 432,000 deportations in 2013, the highest annual total since records were kept. Deportations under the first Trump administration never exceeded 350,000.

Homan and Trump’s ambitious implementation plans

When he was named border czar, Homan was seen as a leader who not only aligned himself with Trump ideologically but also had significant practical experience on immigration policy.

Homan portrays illegal immigration as black and white and has made no apologies for Trump’s policy of targeting everyone in the country without legal status, not just those with criminal histories, public safety concerns and recent border crossers.

“If you’re in the country illegally, you should be concerned,” he said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press. “This is the way things are supposed to be. Just like if I drive fast on the highway, are you worried about getting a ticket? If I lie about your taxes, are you worried about being audited?”

“People ask me all the time, ‘Why did you remove this guy who’s been here for 12 years and has two children who are American citizens?'” he told the AP. “I said because he got due process.” “People think I enjoy this. I’m a father. People don’t think it bothers me. I feel bad about these people’s plight. Don’t get me wrong, but I have work to do.”

He also said, in a separate interview, that immigration enforcement operations at work sites — which the Biden administration has largely halted — will be necessary.

In 2024, Homan said, “I will be managing the largest deportation this country has ever seen.”

Homan vows to target ‘the worst of the worst’ in a ‘humane manner’

Appearing on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” in 2024, Homan promised to target — at least initially — people who pose a risk to public safety and rejected suggestions that the U.S. military would help find and deport immigrants.

“You have to focus on the public safety threats and the national security threats first, because they’re the worst of the worst,” he said on the show. He also said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would move to implement Trump’s plans “in a humane manner.”

In a separate interview on “60 Minutes” ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Homan called suggestions of mass neighborhood raids or building camps to detain people “ridiculous.”

When asked if there was a way to carry out deportations without separating families, he said: “Families can be deported together.”

There are countless recent examples of arrests across the country that do not align with those priorities. In Minnesota, the Associated Press reported on how ICE agents detained people with legal immigration status and no criminal records, children and U.S. citizens.

Homan escaped bribery charges

The White House stood behind Homan in September after reports that he accepted $50,000 from undercover agents posing as businessmen during an FBI sting, leading to a bribery investigation that was eventually closed by Trump’s Justice Department.

Homan was accused of accepting cash during a 2024 meeting with clients who posed as businessmen seeking government contracts that Homan suggested he could help them obtain in Trump’s second term.

Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt described Homan’s meeting with undercover agents as an attempt by the Biden administration “to entrap one of the president’s top allies and supporters, someone they know very well will hold a government position.”