25 Investigates: U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan warns of ‘permanent’ ICE surge in Massachusetts

BOSTON — 25 Investigates is speaking directly with the White House about the latest surge of immigration enforcement dubbed “Operation Patriot.”

According to the administration, the initiative targets sanctuary cities, including Boston, to increase enforcement operations and address public safety threats.

Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh talked one-on-one with US Border Czar Tom Homan about why this is happening now, what we can expect to see, and how long this increased immigration enforcement could last.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “It’s what I promised would happen, that we’re going to flood the zone of sanctuary cities to target and arrest public safety threats and national security threats. Homan later added “They don’t work with us, so they’re going release the public safety threats back into the community, and that’s when we need to go find them.”

KAVANAUGH: “How many people are you finding that have in fact been released? Did you have any data on that?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “I have frequent meetings with ICE. I’m aware of numerous criminal aliens released to the street.” Homan later added “That happens all the time in Massachusetts. Even though the governor wants to say she’s not a sanctuary state, the data proves her wrong. Mayor of Boston says that, you know, she testified in front of Congress that Tom Homan’s the one lying. Well, I got the data to prove it, and I got their cases to prove.”

KAVANAUGH: “The governor [Maura Healey] said in appearance over the weekend that this is not about public safety. This is about intimidation.”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “Well, she’s wrong. This is about public safety. And if she cared about public safety, she’d work with us.”

KAVANAUGH: “But aren’t you working increasingly with more and more local Massachusetts departments?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “We’re trying. But bottom line is, there’s still a problem in Massachusetts. And the data, ICE proves It.”

KAVANAUGH: “You know the numbers are out there that the vast majority of people being detained don’t have criminal records.”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “Wrong. Wrong.”

KAVANAUGH: “So the majority of detained are criminals or accused criminals?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “I look at the numbers every morning, and about 70% of everybody ICE arrests is a criminal.” Homan added “So let’s talk about those non-criminals. A lot of them are national security threats, like the several thousand Iranian nationals we arrested. Most national security threats don’t have a criminal history, because they lay low until they want to do something in their dirty deed, right?”

KAVANAUGH: “But what about the collateral? what about the folks that are here without papers, and that in and of itself is what you’re holding them for?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “We don’t target them. We target national securities and public safety threats.” Homan added “If you’re in the country illegally, that’s not okay. They’re in a country illegally in violation of law. They entered a country legally, which is a violation of criminal law. It’s a crime that enters the country legally.”

KAVANAUGH: “How long do you expect this second surge to last?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: Permanently.”

KAVANAUGH: “Permanently?

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “We’re going to increase resources in sanctuary cities. We’ve already started. And as we bring this 10,000 more agents on, we’re going continue assigning to our most problem areas, which are sanctuary cities and sanctuary states.”

KAVANAUGH: “So based on policy, not necessarily based on crime data?”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: “No. See, you’re wrong. It’s based on crime data. I’m telling you, we’re gonna send them to places where the data shows they’re sanctuary city. If they’re a sanctuary city and they cooperate with us and give us every criminal out of the jail, of course we’re going to reduce the number of officers there and send them into a place where criminals are being released.”

Homan would not say how many additional agents would be coming to Massachusetts. He said they are shifting assets from states like Florida and Texas, where he claims they don’t have these issues.

Watch Kavanaugh’s entire interview with Border Czar Homan: