Trump's border czar says ICE sets record arrests and defends migrant deaths

Tom Homan, the border czar for the Donald Trump administration, told NewsNation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is "deportation‑maxxing" after the agency recorded its highest monthly arrest totals in June and is on track to exceed that pace in July. ICE averaged roughly 1,474 arrests per day in the first 11 days of July, surpassing the June average of over 1,300, and held about 65,765 detainees as of July 11.

Homan defended ICE following recent deaths of migrants in custody, arguing that the fatalities could have been avoided if the migrants had obeyed agents' orders. He said, "These people did not obey the orders of the authorities; today they would be alive." He also advocated for body‑camera use by ICE officers to increase transparency.

The statements come amid growing scrutiny from civil‑rights groups and lawmakers over ICE's enforcement tactics and the rising number of migrant deaths during detention operations.