Tom Homan Shuts Down Leftist Claims About Targeting ‘Innocent’ Illegal Aliens [WATCH]

Border Czar Tom Homan appeared on ESPN’s “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Friday to address the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies and explain why deportations cannot be limited solely to illegal aliens who commit additional crimes after entering the United States.

During the interview, host Stephen A. Smith asked Homan to respond to criticism that deportation efforts under President Donald Trump have not focused enough on what some have called “the worst of the worst.”

Smith said there is a perception among many Americans that the administration is targeting illegal aliens who are not criminals, including individuals taken from workplaces or schools.

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“[W]hat folks on the left and folks that are just average American citizens are pointing out is that they don’t see that enough of that is happening,” Smith said.

“That quote-unquote innocent civilians in this country that happen to be in this country are the ones being targeted, where you’re going to a school or you’re going to their workplace or what have you, and you’re taking them away in an effort to deport them. What do you say to that?”

Homan rejected the narrative, stating that reports of widespread raids on schools and churches are false.

He reiterated that public safety and national security threats remain a priority under current enforcement guidelines, but emphasized that immigration law must still be enforced for all illegal aliens, regardless of whether they have committed additional crimes.

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“[W]e are prioritizing public safety threats. That’s why the majority of people we arrest are criminals. The majority of people we’re detaining are criminals. That’s just a fact. But just because we’re prioritizing public safety threats doesn’t mean everybody else gets a pass,” Homan said.

He warned that sending a message to the world that illegal entry into the U.S. would be tolerated so long as additional crimes are not committed would only further undermine border security.

“Because if the message we want to send, Stephen, to the whole world is: you can enter the country illegally, it’s a crime, don’t worry about it. You can show up in court or not show up in court and get a final order of deportation from a federal judge — don’t worry about it. As long as you don’t commit another crime, you’re home free,” he said.

“That’s not the message we’ve got to send to the whole world. Because if you do that, you’re never going to fix the issue. People are going to realize: ‘I can get to the United States, I can cheat the system and make a false asylum claim. I’ll later be ordered removed, but I never got to leave because I didn’t commit another crime beyond illegal entry.’”

Homan argued that the lack of enforcement against non-criminal illegal aliens sends the wrong signal and creates incentives for more illegal crossings.

He also said that this undermines those who follow the legal immigration process.

“So when you don’t enforce law and you don’t show consequences, people feel welcome to come across. It overwhelms the Border Patrol. Now they’re dealing with this humanitarian crisis, but their national security job — it’s fractured because they created gaps in the system,” Homan said.

“Because there are areas of the border where there’s not a single green uniform because they’re busy changing diapers, making baby formula, you know, and making hospital runs — whatever is required.”

“It’s important we send a message to the whole world: there’s a right way and a wrong way to come to this country,” he added.

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“When you don’t enforce the law and you don’t show consequences, people feel welcome to come across. It overwhelms the Border Patrol.”

“We cannot support illegal activity. We just can’t do… pic.twitter.com/T0pgKsqw8K

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) July 25, 2025

Data released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) supports the shift in enforcement under President Trump. CBP confirmed on July 15 that Border Patrol agents released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the United States in June, marking the second consecutive month with no such releases.

This marks a significant departure from the policies under Joe Biden.

According to CBP data, 62,000 illegal aliens were released into the U.S. in May 2024, followed by an additional 27,766 in June 2024 during the final months of the Biden-Harris administration.