White House border czar Tom Homan says the Trump administration is preparing a major expansion of immigration enforcement operations in New York City, warning that residents will soon see “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the nation’s largest city.
During an appearance Monday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Homan said he had recently reviewed an operational plan to significantly increase the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New York. He linked the planned deployment to New York’s recent efforts to further restrict cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement.
Homan says he’s keeping a promise
Homan said the move stems from commitments he made earlier this year to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after she backed legislation limiting cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and ICE.
“I made her a promise,” Homan said. “You’re going to see more ICE agents than you have ever seen in New York City, and it’s coming.” He added that he had recently reviewed the operational plan but declined to provide details about when the expansion would begin.
The border czar argued that restrictions on cooperation with county jails and local authorities force ICE agents to make more arrests in communities rather than taking custody of individuals already being held in detention facilities.
Mediaite noted that Homan did not mince words, publishing his remarks in full:
I met with Governor Hochul a couple months ago. I explained to her how we dealt with Minnesota, right. If we can work with the sheriffs and arrest the bad guy in the safety and security of the jail, that means less teams into the neighborhoods, which causes a lot of panic, a lot of problems, right? I said but if you sign the legislation that I think you are getting about ready to sign, that means I am going to send more agents to New York because rather than one guy arresting one bad guy in a jail now we got to send a whole team into a neighborhood to find this person that didn’t want to be found because of officer safety reasons, you know, now we have to arrest this guy on his turf. He has access to weapons. I told her it’s safer for the community and safer for the officers and safer for the aliens to have these cooperations with the jails.
She signed the legislation anyways. So, I made her a promise. You are going to see more ICE agents than you have ever seen in New York City. And it’s coming. I just reviewed an operational plan. I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming. I’m keeping my promise. We are going to send more ICE agents to New York because you took away the efficiencies of safe arrests in county jails.
Fight over sanctuary policies intensifies
The dispute centers on New York’s ongoing efforts to expand sanctuary-style protections that limit local participation in federal immigration enforcement.
Supporters of the measures argue they help build trust between immigrant communities and local police while allowing law enforcement to focus on crime prevention. Opponents contend the policies make it more difficult for ICE to detain individuals who are in the country illegally and have criminal records.
Homan has repeatedly warned that reducing cooperation with ICE would not reduce enforcement activity but instead lead to a larger federal presence in affected jurisdictions. Last month, he similarly vowed to “flood the zone” with federal agents if New York lawmakers advanced additional restrictions.
Hochul pushes back
Hochul has previously rejected Homan’s threats, noting that President Donald Trump had indicated he would not send a major surge of immigration agents into New York without the state’s request.
“All I’ll say to Mr. Homan is that Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the state of New York unless I ask,” Hochul said last month. “I’m not asking.”
The governor has maintained that New York will continue cooperating with federal authorities in cases involving dangerous criminals while opposing broader immigration enforcement initiatives that she argues could undermine public trust and community safety.
Details remain unclear
Homan did not disclose how many additional agents could be deployed, whether the operation would focus on New York City alone, or when the enforcement surge might begin. The administration has not released the operational plan referenced during the interview.
The announcement marks the latest escalation in an ongoing conflict between the Trump administration and Democratic-led states over immigration enforcement, sanctuary policies, and the role local governments should play in assisting federal deportation efforts.
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