Tom Homan, former Trump border official, said federal immigration enforcement will continue despite Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's executive order restricting state and local cooperation with ICE. Speaking on the "Ruthless" podcast, Homan called the move a departure from Spanberger's campaign messaging and said the federal government will "work around" noncooperation. He cited recent efforts that he says found 130,000 missing children and warned additional agents will be deployed to noncooperative jurisdictions. Spanberger's office did not immediately comment.
Tom Homan Says Feds Will 'Work Around' Gov. Spanberger's ICE Order, Vows Continued Deportation Operations
The White House border czar took aim at Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger over what he calls her dramatic pivot away from being a champion of law enforcement.(Getty Images)
Tom Homan, the former Trump administration border official, said Thursday that federal immigration enforcement will continue even after Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order limiting state and local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Speaking on the "Ruthless" podcast, Homan framed Spanberger's order as a departure from the law-enforcement image she presented during her campaign. He repeated claims about recent federal efforts to locate missing children and described plans to increase federal resources in jurisdictions that do not cooperate with ICE.
Homan Responds to Spanberger's Order
Homan said the administration has adapted to similar noncooperation in states such as New York, California, Oregon and Illinois and that federal authorities will "work around" Virginia's new directive. He argued that when local authorities release people who may be in the country illegally, federal agents must devote extra resources to locate and arrest them.
White House order czar Tom Homan vows to work around Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's executive order.
"We'll work around it," Homan said. "When you are done, you give them to us. That's the most efficient way to do it. But when you are knowingly going to release public safety threats in the community, now we've got to send a whole team out looking for them."
Claims and Context
Homan said federal efforts have identified about 130,000 missing children and asserted those operations have uncovered victims of trafficking and forced labor. He also cited recent federal arrests in Minnesota involving people he described as sexual predators. Those statements were presented as Homan's account of enforcement activity and outcomes.
Homan acknowledged Spanberger's prior service as a CIA officer but said her executive order suggested a shift away from the law-enforcement emphasis of her campaign ads. Spanberger's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What Comes Next: Homan said the federal government plans to deploy additional agents to sanctuary cities and states that decline to cooperate with ICE, framing the deployments as necessary to continue the agency's enforcement mission.
For readers: this article reports Homan's statements and plans as described on the podcast and in interviews; some claims reflect Homan's perspective and were not independently verified in this piece.
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