Tom Homan, a federal border czar, has forcefully rejected claims by Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents engage in racial profiling of Black Americans. Homan characterized Nixon's accusations as "ridiculous" and asserted that immigration agents do not target people based on their skin color.
"We don't arrest people based on the color of their skin. I'm actually an equal opportunity deporter. I deported people to 180 countries last year," Homan stated during an appearance on "Saturday in America." He emphasized that whether an individual is from Asia, Europe, or elsewhere, if they are in the country illegally, they will be deported regardless of their race.
Nixon, who recently secured the Democratic primary in Florida, has outlined policy priorities that include ending detention centers and abolishing ICE, arguing that mass incarceration and mass deportation represent "moral failures." Her campaign website states that ICE "cannot be trusted with the power it has" and advocates for dismantling the agency's "terror tactics."
Nixon also commented on a recent podcast episode, suggesting that Republicans are "literally trying to kill us" and describing ICE as a "weaponized paramilitary force that is designed to terrorize us," particularly within the Black community, equating its actions to "state-sanctioned violence."
Homan defended the federal immigration agency, asserting that its agents operate within legal parameters. "That's a ridiculous statement," Homan said. "We don't racially profile. Everybody we talk to, we have reasonable suspicion of aliens to talk to them and to arrest them we need probable cause. That's what the law says. And that's what we do."
He further attributed violence that has occurred during some enforcement operations, such as the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in July, to sanctuary policies. Homan argued that such policies, which he claims prevent agents from taking custody of illegal immigrants while they are incarcerated, force officers to conduct arrests in communities. "What sanctuary cities do is not only... give sanctuaries to criminals, it makes the community less safe because they're releasing public safety threats back into the public," he said, adding that these situations "put our officers at greater risk. It puts the alien at greater risk because anything can happen during a street arrest."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also issued a statement regarding Nixon's allegations, calling them "disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE." A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that immigration status, not race or ethnicity, determines who is targeted for enforcement actions.