Federal immigration enforcement is confronting a historic surge in threats and violence against officers nationwide, a trend that former acting ICE Director and Border Czar Tom Homan says is being amplified by political obstruction and hostile public rhetoric.
Homeland Security data shows death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have risen roughly 8,000 percent over the past year, including threats against officers’ families, stalking, doxxing and bounties placed on agents’ heads.
Officials attribute part of this spike to “vilification and demonization tactics” employed by local leaders and activists in public forums.
Homan discussed these escalating challenges with Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” highlighting growing tensions between enforcement personnel, local officials and policymakers over cooperation and public safety.
Kolvet criticized mayors and governors he said are actively impeding federal enforcement efforts, calling for firmer legal consequences.
“A lot of these mayors need to go see jail cells, as far as I’m concerned… and governors,” Kolvet said, arguing that political leaders are avoiding accountability for obstructing enforcement operations.
When pressed about potential legal action, Homan delivered a stark warning: “I can just say, look, wait, wait and see.”
The remark has been widely interpreted as signaling that developments could come, though he declined to provide specifics, according to LifeZette.
Homan warned that hostile rhetoric and political resistance have tangible consequences.
DHS reports show a dramatic increase in assaults on immigration officers, including a rise of more than 1,100 percent in reported violence compared with the previous year.
Attacks range from physical confrontations to vehicular assaults, contributing to declining morale among federal personnel.
Federal officials have also documented incidents in which extremist groups and others published officers’ personal information, including home addresses and family details, raising safety concerns beyond the field.
In one city, flyers with officers’ names and antigovernment messages were discovered in residential neighborhoods, and trash was left at officers’ homes with threatening notes, Police1 reports.
Drawing on decades of experience, Homan described the personal toll of such dangers on officers and their families.
“I have throughout my long career buried Border Patrol agents,” he said. “I buried ICE agents, and the worst part of my job is handing a folded flag to a child or a spouse. I don’t want to bury anybody else,” he said.
He also condemned extreme labels applied to enforcement officers, such as comparisons to Nazis or Gestapo forces, warning that such rhetoric can embolden unstable individuals to commit acts of violence.
Homan emphasized that he prays nightly for both agents and those targeted for deportation, highlighting the human cost on both sides of immigration enforcement.
Despite criticizing political leaders, Homan said he remains open to cooperation with jurisdictions that currently limit federal collaboration, arguing that dialogue and a focus on public safety could improve outcomes for both communities and officers.
The conversation underscores the complexity of enforcement efforts amid rising threats and increasing political and social scrutiny.
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