Washington, DC [US], December 8 : President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, on Sunday backed the US leader's plan to target Somali immigrants in Minnesota, even as Trump described the community as "garbage".
During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union", Homan said he was "not aware of what the president was thinking" when Trump said he wants Somalis removed from the country but added, "I agree 100 per cent with what he's doing."
Homan pointed out that Trump "has said we're concentrating on public safety threats and national security threats", adding that Trump was elected "to run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen." He stated, "That's exactly what we're doing. That's what American people voted for."
Trump, in comments last week, called Somali immigrants in Minnesota "garbage" and said they should go "back to where they came from". His remarks sparked criticism, with many calling the language "racist", including Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Trump later doubled down, claiming Somalia is "the worst country on earth", accusing Somali immigrants of having "destroyed the country", and personally targeting Omar and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Homan dismissed the idea that Trump's personal statements influenced enforcement actions, claiming "there's a large illegal alien community" in the state.
He said, "Even we don't know how many illegal Somalis there are because, remember, under the last four years of Joe Biden, there's over 2 million known gotaways people caught on video."
Homan also rejected accusations that ICE agents are using harsh tactics during detentions, saying, "I'm not in every arrest. I'm not in every operation. I trust the men and women of ICE and border patrol do the right thing."
Some Republicans raised concerns about the handling of ongoing operations. Senator John Curtis said compassion has diminished on both sides during immigration raids, stating, "If I were mayor, the very first thing I would do is I'd sit down with ICE, and I'd say, 'I want the bad guys out of my city, and I want my citizens to feel safe.'"
He added, "Too much of that isn't happening. It's like us against them."
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