ICE Director Homan talks immigration enforcement, public relations


  • BRIAN MOLONGOSKI Watertown Daily Times
  • 5 hrs ago




Type the words “customs enforcement” into Google.

What will likely pop up is a slew of recent news stories from across the country about how, since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, an explosion of raids conducted by the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement has occurred.

Many of those sourced in these articles said the raids have caused increased fears of deportation and “collateral” arrests of people who are in the United States legally.

This is a result of Trump’s executive order to “take the shackles off ICE officers,” as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer put it, and it has given the agency more leeway to carry out its operations.

But for Thomas Homan, now acting director of ICE, it has also come with a challenge: building a positive image for ICE in the media and in the public.

Homan, a West Carthage native, was appointed Jan. 30 as acting director of ICE. He was promoted by Trump from executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, a position he held for more than three years.

He succeeded Daniel Ragsdale as acting director of ICE. Ragsdale, who served as acting director of ICE under former President Barack Obama since 2013, has returned to his previous position of deputy director.

With one month on the new job now under his belt, Homan said the juggling act between enforcing the law and building trust with the public has been nothing short of difficult.

“Right now, the attack is on ICE,” he said in a Times interview Wednesday. “Everyone is going after ICE.”

In looking to build that trust, Homan said he is determined to educate the public that ICE is no different than any other law enforcement agency in the nation, and its officers are doing the job they are ordered to do. Operations conducted by ICE, he added, are being incorrectly labeled as random raids by the media, as such operations are based on intelligence gathered over a period of time. But it is the level of discretion ICE agents have that has changed under Trump’s presidency.

In the Obama days, ICE had to focus only on those who could pose a significant threat to the public, and those farther down the priority list were to be left untouched.

With Trump’s executive order in play, Homan said there is no longer a specific group or population of people immune to investigation.

“It gives them back their discretion,” he said. “No more leaving a certain population alone — now it’s looking at it on a case-by-case basis. They are now operating with 100 percent capability like they should have been.”

In discussing immigration law enforcement, Homan uses the words “due process” often. He said carrying out ICE operations isn’t just about ensuring laws are followed, but also that those detained have their voices heard in the courts. And a judge’s decision, regardless of what it is, must be respected.

“If you’re going to go through this whole process and a federal judge makes a decision, that decision needs to be executed, or there’s no integrity in the system,” he said. “Immigration is emotional, I get that, but it’s still a law, and we are still law enforcement officers, and we gotta do our job.”

The northern border

Being a north country native, Homan said he is tuned in to what happens along the Canadian border.

While problems along the southern border often make the headlines more frequently than those happening in the north, Homan said it doesn’t mean one is more important than the other.

Homan noted, however, that the Mexican border remains one of the highest priorities when it comes to nation’s border issues.

“We gotta go where the fire is at, and right now the fire is on the Southwest border,” he said.

Because of that, Homan said, more resources are dedicated to that region. But that is likely to change.

“Now that we are getting more resources from the executive order, you’re seeing more resources on the southern border and also the northern border,” he said.

Homan said ICE has formed several partnerships and task forces with law enforcement agencies in New York state, including state police, border patrol and even local entities. While he could not go into specifics of ICE investigations in upstate New York, he said “good work” is happening along the northern border as a result of those partnerships.

Sanctuary cities

Homan said metropolitan areas that have labeled themselves as “sanctuary cities” as a result of Trump’s executive action have posed a problem for ICE’s operations.

He noted Chicago as a particular challenge, as city officials there have promised to shield undocumented immigrants from potential deportation. Homan said illegal immigrants jailed in Chicago cannot be questioned or removed from the country by ICE, therein increasing the risk that they will repeat crimes once released.

“If we can’t get our hands on the people who are going to pose a threat to our country and our communities, it becomes a problem,” he said. “Sanctuary cities concern me because they are creating a public safety issue and are creating issues for the men and women who work for me.”

Homan also noted that sanctuary cities like Chicago receive federal funding to jail illegal immigrants through the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, which adds further complications, he added, when federal law enforcement cannot enter jails being funded with federal money.

“I find that particularly disturbing,” he said.

Transparency

Homan said that ICE is ramping efforts to interact with the public to be more transparent about the results of its operations and why it functions the way it does.

On top of increased social media activity, Homan said he will make himself more available to speak with the public on immigration issues.

“Once people understand what we do and why we do it, I think the adversity will decrease,” Homan said.

But at the end of the day, Homan said, the job is about respecting the law,

“Anybody who is escaping fear and persecution in their homeland, we will absolutely make sure they get a due process,” he said. “We will make sure someone is heard. We will not knowingly send someone back to a home where they will be persecuted. But once a decision is made, I have to do my job.”

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