Tom Homan Clashes With CBS Reporter Over Migrant Deaths, Demands Biden-Era Data
The former ICE director accused the journalist of posing a 'loaded question' and challenged him to provide statistics on deaths under the current administration.
Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan confronted a CBS News immigration correspondent during a Friday interview, accusing him of presenting a “loaded question” regarding migrant deaths in ICE custody and demanding data from the Biden administration. The exchange occurred when CBS correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez pressed Homan on the number of migrant deaths in ICE custody under the Trump administration, noting that the current year could set a record high.
Montoya-Galvez cited official ICE data indicating that 57 individuals had died in the agency's custody under the current administration and reported a death that occurred the same day. He questioned whether increased detentions were the sole explanation for the rising death toll, asking, “that can’t be the only explanation, can it be?”
Homan responded by demanding, “How many people died during the Biden administration? Do you know?” When the reporter admitted he did not have the specific data at hand, Homan retorted, “Of course you don’t. Again, it’s another loaded question against the Trump administration.”
Homan defended ICE’s detention standards, asserting they are the highest in the industry and surpass those of state or federal institutions. He stated that deaths in ICE custody are among the lowest compared to state prisons or the Bureau of Prisons. Homan attributed the increase in deaths to a doubling of the detainee population, which he stated recently exceeded 74,000 individuals.
He further argued that ICE provides high-quality medical care, even treating pre-existing conditions that detainees may not have been aware of. Homan mentioned that during his tenure as ICE director, nearly a billion dollars was spent on medical care. He compared ICE detention to federal or state prisons, reiterating that ICE strives to provide the best possible medical care and that, based on past data, ICE had one of the lowest death-in-custody rates compared to other correctional facilities.
Theo Wold, former acting assistant attorney general and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy during the Trump administration, criticized the reporter's line of questioning. Wold told Fox News Digital that the journalist appeared unprepared with data, suggesting the aim was to create