President Donald Trump has appointed Tom Homan as his "border czar" to oversee immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, a move seen by many as a sign that a more serious leader will take charge. Critics have welcomed the change from Greg Bovino, whose leadership was deemed chaotic and outrageous.
However, Homan's own record raises questions about whether he is the conciliator his appointment suggests. As a former director of enforcement removal operations under President Barack Obama, who was criticized for his "deporter-in-chief" policies, Homan has been involved in some high-profile controversies. He has made headlines for his hawkish views on immigration and his promise to enforce a strong domestic deportation program.
Homan's past comments have included statements that undocumented immigrants should be afraid and that they broke the law by entering the country. In 2019, he even reflected on speaking before a congressional hearing about his Trump administration tenure, saying he "hesitated a minute" before yelling at lawmakers because he considered them deserving of a beating.
Additionally, Homan has been criticized for his association with white supremacist groups and far-right militias, although he denies these ties. In 2024, he was embroiled in an scandal when undercover agents posed as contractors to try to entrap him over $50,000 in donations to his re-election campaign. The White House and Justice Department defended Homan against this charge.
Despite this, Homan has been more careful in recent comments about enforcement operations, acknowledging that mistakes can happen and that the goal is to make the operation safer and more efficient by the book. While he still emphasizes "targeted" work in Minnesota, his tone seems more measured than it did under Bovino's leadership.
It's worth noting that Homan has not been as extreme as some of Trump's other advisors, such as Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who have been accused of being more antagonistic towards Democratic politicians and activists. However, even Homan's past comments demonstrate the need for nuance in assessing his record.
Overall, while Homan may be seen as a more moderate force than some of Trump's other advisors, his own history raises questions about whether he is truly capable of balancing enforcement with compassion and due process. Only time will tell if his appointment marks a turning point in Trump's approach to immigration policy.
However, Homan's own record raises questions about whether he is the conciliator his appointment suggests. As a former director of enforcement removal operations under President Barack Obama, who was criticized for his "deporter-in-chief" policies, Homan has been involved in some high-profile controversies. He has made headlines for his hawkish views on immigration and his promise to enforce a strong domestic deportation program.
Homan's past comments have included statements that undocumented immigrants should be afraid and that they broke the law by entering the country. In 2019, he even reflected on speaking before a congressional hearing about his Trump administration tenure, saying he "hesitated a minute" before yelling at lawmakers because he considered them deserving of a beating.
Additionally, Homan has been criticized for his association with white supremacist groups and far-right militias, although he denies these ties. In 2024, he was embroiled in an scandal when undercover agents posed as contractors to try to entrap him over $50,000 in donations to his re-election campaign. The White House and Justice Department defended Homan against this charge.
Despite this, Homan has been more careful in recent comments about enforcement operations, acknowledging that mistakes can happen and that the goal is to make the operation safer and more efficient by the book. While he still emphasizes "targeted" work in Minnesota, his tone seems more measured than it did under Bovino's leadership.
It's worth noting that Homan has not been as extreme as some of Trump's other advisors, such as Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who have been accused of being more antagonistic towards Democratic politicians and activists. However, even Homan's past comments demonstrate the need for nuance in assessing his record.
Overall, while Homan may be seen as a more moderate force than some of Trump's other advisors, his own history raises questions about whether he is truly capable of balancing enforcement with compassion and due process. Only time will tell if his appointment marks a turning point in Trump's approach to immigration policy.
like what happened to Greg Bovino? he seemed so clueless 
but now Homan is in charge and it's all about enforcement and deportation, which isn't exactly what you'd call conciliatory 
i mean don't get me wrong, the dude has made some comments that are straight up worrying - like "hesitated a minute" before yelling at lawmakers 
and yeah, his past association with white supremacist groups is pretty shady too 
so i'm curious to see how Homan will balance enforcement with compassion and due process... or if he'll end up being more of the same 
only time will tell, i guess 
. And don't even get me started on his associations with white supremacist groups... that's just a major concern 
. I'm not saying he's gonna be the worst thing since sliced bread or anything, but can we really trust him to balance enforcement with compassion? 
. I mean, yeah he's more chill now than Greg Bovino was, but what about all those past comments where he said undocumented immigrants broke the law by coming here? That doesn't exactly scream "compassion" or "due process". And don't even get me started on those white supremacist groups and militias he's associated with 
. I guess it's good that he's talking more measured now, but you can't just rewrite history, right? It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in Minneapolis 
. Do you think Homan can balance enforcement with compassion?
. I mean, who says that undocumented immigrants should be afraid? It's not exactly reassuring to hear him say he "hesitated a minute" before yelling at lawmakers - that's not leadership, that's intimidation. 
But can we really trust him to balance enforcement with compassion and due process? Only time will tell if this appointment marks a turning point for Trump's approach. I'm gonna keep watching this one closely... 
...I mean, Tom Homan's past comments about undocumented immigrants being afraid and breaking the law seem pretty extreme to me 
. And what's with the white supremacist groups thing? That's some serious red flags 
. I get that he's trying to be more careful now, but it's gonna take a lot more than just a tone shift for me to trust him 
. Only time will tell if this appointment marks a change in Trump's approach to immigration policy 
.
Tom Homan's "softening" on comments doesn't change the fact he was part of Obama's deportation crew 
. And don't even get me started on his history with white supremacist groups, that's not something you just "associate" yourself with 
. I mean, what's next? Appointing a known felon to head up law enforcement? 
. And btw, 50k for his re-election campaign? 
.
. I'm still skeptical that Homan's appointment is a turning point - it's gonna take more than a change in leadership to fix our broken immigration system 
.
. I guess only time will tell if Tom Homan can make a difference, but from where I'm sitting, it feels like he might be bringing more drama than academic rigor 
his record might be checkered, but everyone's got flaws, rite? 
but maybe hes the real deal, tryna make a difference from within 
Just found out that Tom Homan's been linked to white supremacist groups again... like, come on! You'd think that after the whole entrapment scandal last year, he'd be more careful with his words. But nope, still speaking about "targeted" ops and deportation programs 
.
i dont know if the US can handle someone who has been involved in so much controversy already. hes got a history of being super aggressive towards immigrants and even towards lawmakers 
its not exactly reassuring to hear that he's trying to tone it down now 
. But we'll have to keep an eye on this one...
Tom Homan's past comments are straight up red flag, you know? Like, undocumented immigrants should be afraid of them? That's not conciliatory, that's condescending. And don't even get me started on the white supremacist groups thing... how can someone with ties to those groups just shrug it off like it's no big deal?