Tom Homan, the border czar of U.S President Donald Trump, said there could be a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents sent to New York City (NYC) in response to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s policies regarding police departments cooperating with immigration officials.
Homan joined “Fox & Friends” on Monday to outline the proposal that would bring “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” to the city.
“It’s coming,” he said “I just reviewed an operational plan. I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul had passed a plan in May to forbid state and local law enforcement from working with ICE in New York. The plan also blocks ICE agents from “sensitive” locations like hospitals and schools.
Homan reinforced his stance in a briefing with reporters in Washington on Tuesday, stating, “You can expect more ICE agents going to New York because Governor Hochul signed legislation that ended our 287(g) agreements, where one agent can arrest one bad guy turned over by a jail. Now, we’ve got to send a whole team to look for that guy.”
“We’re going to surge resources in New York. We have to,” he added.
Hochul reacted to Homan’s comments on Monday, posting on X, “As I’ve told the President and Tom Homan, New York will never be a sanctuary for dangerous criminals. We will continue working with federal authorities to target violent offenders. But we will not stand by if ICE floods our communities with agents, separates families, and turns our neighborhoods into the backdrop for a campaign of fear.”
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani also criticised Homan’s statement as the city gets ready to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He wrote on X, “We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities — especially at this moment. As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us.”
