The border czar said the move is in response to a law signed by New York’s governor last month.
The White House’s designated border czar said the Trump administration will be sending more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to New York City in response to a new state law barring some local officials from working with ICE on immigration enforcement.
Tom Homan said he reviewed a new plan to surge more immigration agents to the state and that there will be “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in New York City.
He made the comment to Fox News on Monday evening, saying the deployment is a response to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who last month signed into law a bill barring local and state officials from working with ICE in jails.
“I made her a promise. You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City and it’s coming,” Homan said, adding that he met with Hochul months ago and delivered that message to her. “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.”
Homan also said in the interview that it’s safer for both illegal immigrants and federal agents when state-run jails cooperate with federal immigration authorities on arrests that would otherwise occur in the community.
“One agent can arrest one bad guy in the safety and security of the jail, which is safer for the aliens, safer for the agent, safer for the community,” the border czar said.
In late May, Hochul signed the law that blocks local governments and officials from “entering into 287(g) Agreements or similar agreements with the federal government that allow for state and local law enforcement personnel and facilities to be used for civil immigration enforcement purposes,” according to a news release issued by her office.
During an event on June 8 previewing events around the World Cup, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Party and Democratic Socialists of America, criticized the operation previewed by Homan and said that ICE should be dismantled.
“I want to be very clear about the fact that I believe that ICE raids are cruel, they are inhumane, they do nothing to serve in the interest of public safety,” Mamdani said. “I’ve shared that directly with the president. I’ve shared that in public. It is a feeling that many New Yorkers share.”
