In the incidents referenced by Brennan, the suspects attempted to ram ICE agents with vehicles while evading arrest. She even mentioned a third incident where a 28-year-old Mexican National, who killed himself when he was struck and killed by a semi-truck after he ran into oncoming traffic while fleeing ICE.
Homan did not comment on the active investigations into the incidents but slammed Democrats and members of Congress for attempting to discredit the authority of ICE and fueling protests and riots against law enforcement.
“I actually think that emboldens some people to say, I’m not going to comply with ICE,” Homan said, noting that he’s never seen anything like this in his four-decade career in immigration enforcement. He continued, “And I think no matter what people think of ICE, no matter what you think of immigration law, you should always comply with law enforcement.”
But Brennan went on to attack ICE for killing people who “were not the intended targets,” while suggesting that ICE isn’t catching people they’re actually looking for. She then laughably claimed without evidence that the illegal alien, who was killed by ICE after attempting to run agents over in Houston, Texas, “thought he was being robbed because it was an unmarked vehicle, not that it was law enforcement at all.”
Homan then noted that nobody knows what actually happened because of the lack of body cameras, which the Democrats have demanded. Ironically, however, “everybody in ICE would have a camera now if the government wasn’t shut down by Democratic members of Congress,” Homan said.
“I think body cameras let the American people know what that officer sees when he takes that action,” he added as Margaret Brennan continued to push back. “I think the American people need to see what that officer sees and hears. I think it’s important. And if you look at the data, body cameras actually exonerate agents more than they, you know, provide evidence of wrongdoing.”
Brennan: Mr. Homan, we saw that two immigrants were shot in the span of a week. There was that one in Maine that was fatal just days after another one in Houston. We also saw that man fleeing agents in Florida, who then was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. I know you’ve been trying to keep the department out of the headlines ever since that streak in Minnesota that was deadly. How do you respond to those who say, what’s happening now looks like very little has changed?
Homan: Well, you know, first of all, we’ll wait and see what the investigations – how they play out, right? Because, you know, I don’t want to get ahead of an investigation, who’s at fault, what exactly happened because we all know, when these investigations happen, there’s going to be cell phone video, there may be city cameras, and, of course, then you’ve got witness statements and affidavits from the officer and witnesses. So, we’ve got to let the investigations play out. So I don’t really want to comment on the investigations themselves. But, you know, I think, you know, Markwayne Mullin, you know, took some action in concern of the safety of the agents and how we do operations, and that’s why he did that, you know, that pause on enforcement on vehicle stops.
But, you know, my concern is – I’ve never – I’ve done this since 1984. My concern is I think a lot of the rhetoric that you see every day, especially in sanctuary cities and at these protests that resist, members of Congress saying ICE isn’t a real law enforcement agency. I think that – I actually think that emboldens some people to say, I’m not going to comply with ICE. And I think no matter what people think of ICE, no matter what you think of immigration law, you should always comply with law enforcement.
Brennan: Yes. Yes. But in the shootings in both Houston and Maine, the people who were killed were not the intended targets. Have you caught the people you were actually looking for?
Homan: One of them I believe we did. But, you know, that happens in law enforcement all the time. I mean, we’re working, you know, you get leads on individuals, and you say, OK, well this subject lives at this house, he drives this car. And when that subject leaves the house, you know, 6:00 in the morning, and someone gets in that car from that house, you know, they assume, OK, this is our guy, and they’ll do a vehicle stop. And depending on when they make that stop and that person complies, either they’re going to be arrested or released. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. So, you know, law enforcement deals with mis-identity every day across the country, not just ICE, every law enforcement agency. I was a cop. I know that happens.
Brennan: Yes. But these were fatal shootings, of course, in Houston and in Maine. And in Houston, it was an unmarked car. So, when you’re saying, don’t resist, these individuals who were chasing the man who died, they didn’t have markings on that vehicle that would allow for him to know that they were ICE. It just looked like a car coming after them in the videos.
Homan: No. They have emergency lights. Officers have insignia. So, when they get out of that car and approach the car, you can clearly see they’re law enforcement officers. They can’t – this is – these people
Brennan: Well, in the video that has been public, it’s not a marked car.
Homan: These people – I’m not saying it’s a marked car, but they have emergency lights and sirens. So, when they pull someone over, they’re going to activate their emergency lights. A lot of – a lot of police departments – I’m in New York City right now. A lot of NYPD officers are driving unmarked vehicles. And that helps them find people that don’t want to be found, right? So, you know, but bottom line is, we’ll see when the investigation plays out, but they’d be alive today if they simply complied with a vehicle stop by a federal law enforcement officer. Just comply. You can – if you don’t think you’re being treated right and they had no reason to stop you, then there’s avenues to take them to court. Just sue. Get a lawyer and argue in court.
Brennan: Well, the family of the man in Houston said they – he thought he was being robbed because it was an unmarked vehicle, not that it was law enforcement at all.
Homan: They had emergency lights. They activate emergency lights. Blue lights. You know – you know, in my vehicle I drive where I’m with my security detail we have emergency lights.
Brennan: You’ve seen that on video, because we haven’t?
Homan: Seen what on video, ma’am?
Brennan: That there were lights. Because in the videos that we’ve seen, there aren’t. And because there weren’t body cameras, it is hard to substantiate some of what you are saying.
Homan: Ok. Well, I have not seen the videos. But I’m saying, our vehicles are equipped with emergency lights. Now, if they didn’t activate the lights, again, I haven’t seen that video. If they didn’t activate the lights, then there’s an issue there, right? But I’m saying, they are equipped with lights. So, let me just caveat that, they should have been equipped with lights and sirens. So, I do not know specifically if they activated those lights. But as far as the cameras, Margaret, you know, everybody in ICE would have a camera now if the government wasn’t shut down by Democratic members of Congress. There was money in that bill that they held up. I think it was $120 million to equip all ICE officers with cameras. But because the government shut down, we’re behind on that. But the cameras have been purchased–
Brennan: But they got $20 million in April.
Homan: But it wasn’t enough. $20 million may have bought some cameras, but it doesn’t buy the storage. It doesn’t buy the resources we need for the thousands of FOIA requests we’re going to get. There has to be storage capability to hold these videos for a long time. So, it didn’t fund everything. But now we have the funding after reconciliation. The cameras have been purchased. Right now they’re training the trainer and deploying the cameras nationwide.
