Border czar Tom Homan warned immigration crackdown needed to be ‘humane’ or risk public support: report

Official drafted in to restore order to federal operations in Minneapolis argued last June that Americans would only back missions that prioritized the apprehension of criminals

President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan warned last summer that an aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration risked alienating the American public, according to a report.

Homan was brought in last month to assume control of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis after two U.S. citizens – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – were shot dead by federal agents, provoking a national outcry.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the president held crisis talks with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and had CBP Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino, who had led the operation, sent back to California to avoid further inflaming tensions on the ground.

But, according to NBC News, Homan had argued as long ago as last June that a more targeted approach to immigration enforcement focused on criminals was necessary to “keep the faith of the American people,” rather than the broader roundup tactics favored by Bovino to meet targets.

Border czar Tom Homan has long advocated for a more ‘targeted’ approach to the arrest of illegal immigrants as the key to keeping the public on side (AFP/Getty)

“I think the vast majority of the American people think criminal illegal aliens need to leave,” Homan told journalist Julia Ainsley in an interview conducted for her forthcoming book Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Program.

“And if we stick to that prioritization, I think we keep the faith of the American people… And I think the more we do that, the more the American people will support what President Trump’s doing. We got to do it and we’ve got to do it in a humane manner.”

“When I say prioritize public safety threats, they’re just a priority. I’ve said it many times: If you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table. If we find you while we’re out there looking, you’re going to be arrested.

“If we send a message to the world that, ‘Well if you enter the country illegally, that’s a crime but don’t worry about it – just don’t commit another crime and we’re not looking for you.’ We can’t send that message.”

At the time the border czar was speaking, ICE was engaged in enforcement operations in downtown Los Angeles, which led to widespread protests and ultimately caused Trump to send in the National Guard and Marines to help keep the peace, against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass.

CBP Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino, who was stood down from Minneapolis last month, favored a much broader approach to making arrests (Getty)

Further operations, equally controversial, followed in Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans and Portland, with the tensions finally erupting in Minnesota in January following the killings of Good and Pretti, both 37-year-old activists fatally shot in street confrontations with agents.

Approximately one-third of the arrests made by ICE in the first nine months of 2025 were of immigrants with no other criminal convictions, according to publicly available data, suggesting Homan’s advice was not then being heeded.

It emerged last week that Bovino had actively “declined” the administration’s guidance that he should prioritize targeted arrests during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.

A DHS spokesperson told NBC there is no difference in outlook between Homan and Noem on how to conduct the crackdown looking forward.

“As Border Czar Homan and Secretary Noem have both said numerous times, ICE conducts targeted operations to remove public safety threats from this country – any individual illegally in that country is on the table,” they said. “There is only one page: the president’s page. Everyone’s on the same page.”

Since taking over responsibility for Minneapolis from Bovino two weeks ago, Homan has attempted to strike a calmer tone and last week reduced the number of federal agents in the city by 700.

Trump too has since publicly acknowledged the need for a “a little bit of a softer touch” in carrying out immigration enforcement, saying as much as an interview with NBC that aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl.