Border czar Tom Homan said Friday that immigration enforcement operations will increase across the country as Border Patrol agents take on an expanded role beyond their traditional jurisdictions.
Speaking on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show,” Homan said the Trump administration is preparing [1] to deploy large teams of Border Patrol agents to cities including Charlotte and New Orleans to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in upcoming enforcement actions.
“We’re going to a lot of cities, but I want to make one thing clear. ICE Director Todd Lyons. He oversees the interior enforcement operations. Border Patrol is doing a great job with us,” Homan told host Will Cain.
“The last four years, ICE has sent thousands of people down on the border to help the Border Patrol when they’re overwhelmed. Now the border is the most secure border in the history of this nation because of President Trump.”
According to Homan, shifting Border Patrol resources deeper into the interior is necessary because of the continued impact of migration from the Biden years.
“Now we need their help because 10.5 million illegal aliens came to the border under President Biden. But add that to the 15 million already here,” Homan said.
He added that the administration’s increased enforcement posture will accelerate as newly hired staffing becomes available nationwide.
“And as we hire the 10,000 new agents, they come online every month. You’re going to see more operations in more major cities, mainly sanctuary cities, because that’s where our biggest problem is, because public safety threats are released every day, and we know it. So you’re going to see a lot more of this coming in most major cities across the nation,” Homan said.
Border crossings have fallen sharply under President Donald Trump, with the administration halting all migrant paroles for four consecutive months and reducing southern border apprehensions by 93% compared to Biden-era averages, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
The drop represents a significant change from conditions under Joe Biden, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed the southern border illegally each month and CBP records show the Border Patrol released nearly 90,000 migrants into the United States in May and June 2024 alone.
The shift began immediately when Trump returned to office and reinstated broad enforcement directives.
He signed executive orders restarting construction of the border wall, deploying military assets to the southern border, pausing refugee admissions, and initiating steps to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens.
The measures were accompanied by rapid changes in federal policy that narrowed access to humanitarian programs, increased detention capacity, and restricted the circumstances under which migrants could be released into the interior.
Homan said the surge in enforcement operations now planned for U.S. cities builds directly on those policy reversals and relies on newly strengthened cooperation between ICE and Border Patrol.
He noted that the Trump administration considers sanctuary jurisdictions a priority because local policies in those areas have limited the ability of federal authorities to detain or remove individuals who pose public safety concerns.
Homan said additional details on upcoming deployments will be announced as new personnel complete training and enter the field.