Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s 64-year-old border czar, told Fox News that ICE must improve its public messaging after the agency’s popularity declined following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good at a Minnesota protest. CNN reports ICE’s favorability is about 17 points underwater, and an Economist/YouGov poll found a plurality of Americans would support abolishing the agency. Homan blamed media coverage for much of the backlash, while DHS officials pointed to polls showing strong support for deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions and cited agency arrest statistics.
Trump Border Czar Urges Better ICE Messaging As Agency’s Popularity Falls
Federal agents deploy tear gas and pepper balls against community members during a protest as tensions intensified following a shooting involving federal law enforcement in north Minneapolis. / Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images
Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, told Fox News that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) needs to improve its public messaging after the agency’s approval ratings dropped sharply following a deadly protest in Minnesota.
Homan: 'We Need To Get Better At Messaging'
Speaking on a Thursday edition of Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Homan argued that ICE must do a better job communicating "the truth" about its work. "I think we need to get better at messaging what we’re doing," he said.
“If people listen to most of the media — not this network — they’re gonna hear that ICE is separating families every day, or deporting U.S. citizen children, or we’re doing operations in elementary schools and churches.”
During the segment, host Laura Ingraham dismissed such claims as false, and footage of an ICE arrest at a Minneapolis protest was shown as Homan called for pushing back against what he called "lies."
Public Backlash And Polling
Public sentiment has swung against ICE after the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good at an ICE protest in Minnesota. According to CNN, the agency’s favorability sits about 17 points underwater, and an Economist/YouGov poll found that a plurality of Americans would support abolishing ICE.
ICE has split up families and deported U.S. citizen children, despite Homan describing such stories as
The controversy grew after comments from public figures: podcaster Joe Rogan compared ICE to the Nazis’ secret police, asking, "Are we really gonna be the Gestapo? 'Where’s your papers?' Is that what we’ve come to?"
Reporting, Agency Defense, And DHS Response
High-profile stories involving ICE have kept the issue in the spotlight. In December, PBS published firsthand accounts from families who say they were separated by ICE; The New York Times also reported on parents who feared for their children’s safety because raids were occurring near schools. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained that it does not conduct raids on schools.
DHS officials have downplayed concerns about ICE’s slipping popularity by citing polls showing broad support for deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast that recent polls — including a New York Times poll and a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll — indicate that roughly 8 in 10 Americans support deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions. She also said that "70% of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S.," and framed enforcement as part of restoring law and order.
What To Watch
The debate highlights a split between how ICE and some officials characterise enforcement and how critics and segments of the public perceive its tactics and consequences. Homan’s call for improved messaging signals that the agency may pursue a more proactive communications strategy as it responds to intense scrutiny.
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