In an interview on Wednesday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on a recent fatal shooting involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis and broader allegations of excessive force by immigration officers. Homan, shown video of the incident in which an ICE agent shot and killed a woman, declined to assess the event, differing from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s earlier characterization. Instead, Homan emphasized waiting for the investigation.
“Let the investigation play out,” Homan said.
Dokoupil then shifted to questions about circulating videos depicting potential excessive force by ICE agents during arrests and operations.
Dokoupil: These videos that for months and months have been going around that people watch and they share, and they say, “Look at this case of excessive force.” Again, I’m not going to litigate any particular incident or ask you in detail about it. But I’m curious, you’ve seen these videos. I’m sure you’ve seen more than is even public. Have you seen any examples of clear, excessive force displayed by ICE agents and officers in the field?
Homan: No.
Dokoupil: During the whole administration?
Homan: Things that I’ve seen?
Dokoupil: Yeah.
Homan: No. And when I hear or see a story that an allegation is made, I follow up, make sure it’s being fully investigated. But I haven’t seen one ICE officer found guilty of anything inappropriate. Look, again, I’m not involved in every arrest. We’re making thousands of arrests a day. Over 2,000 a day on average. I can’t be aware of every ICE arrest. I trust the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol are well-trained. They get Fourth Amendment training every six months. I’m putting my faith in them that they do the right thing every day out there. And if they don’t, they’ll be held accountable.
Dokoupil challenged Homan’s responses, expanding the question to include any inflammatory or demeaning comments from administration members toward immigrants.
Dokoupil: I want to ask you kind of a bald question here. I mean, just a straight-up question. You’re telling me you’ve never seen, in your tenure, any example of excessive force? You’re telling me you’ve not heard any comment from any member of this administration that is inflammatory or racist or in any way demeaning toward the immigrant community? That’s what you’re telling me? I know, because I talked to people out there all over the country, a lot of Americans are going to hear that, and they are going to be yelling at their television. They are going to be saying, “The idea that there is zero, there is nothing there,” you are calling them crazy.
Homan: I’m not calling anybody crazy. I’m telling you what I know, what I’ve seen, and I told you, there over 2,000 arrests a day–
Dokoupil: But it just comes down to zero issue, zero problems, zero comments. It’s just not believable to a lot of people, including myself. There’s nothing that you have ICE do differently in any of these cases? We’ve seen all of these videos. Nothing?
Homan: I have not seen ICE act outside of policy. And if they are acting outside of policy, I’m not aware of it. There will be an investigation and we’d hold them accountable.
The exchange highlighted ongoing public scrutiny of ICE operations during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
