NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Border czar Tom Homan blasted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is targeting non-criminals during raids, as the agency’s Operation Midway Blitz began in the state.
“If Governor Pritzker wants less what he calls ‘collateral arrests,’ then let us in the damn jail,” Homan said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.”
“We can arrest the criminal in the safety and security of a jail rather than release a public safety threat back into the public, which is just dumb.”
TOM HOMAN PUTS SANCTUARY CITIES ‘ON NOTICE’ AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON IMMIGRATION
Pritzker has made it clear he will not support an expanded ICE presence in Illinois, even as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launches Operation Midway Blitz — an initiative aimed at arresting criminal illegal immigrants in the state.
Border czar Tom Homan pushes back on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s claim that ICE raids target non-criminals, defending federal enforcement operations in the sanctuary state. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In a statement on X, DHS linked the plan to Illinois’ sanctuary policies, arguing they attract criminals.
Pritzker rejected that claim, instead insisting that ICE is targeting longtime residents.
“We are trying to protect all the residents of the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said Tuesday.
“These are not criminals. These are people who are genuinely here in this country holding down jobs. They’ve been here for 10, 20, 30 years, raising families here, paying taxes, following the law, doing the right thing.”
Demonstrators protest outside Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago on Sept. 9, 2025, opposing the deployment of federal agents. (Talia Sprague/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Homan strongly disagreed, arguing that entering the country illegally in the first place is an offense. Under current law, entering the United States illegally in certain situations can either be a federal misdemeanor or a civil violation.
“They cheated the system,” said Homan. “There are millions of people standing in line, taking their tests, doing their background investigations, paying their fees to be part of the greatest nation on earth.”
GRIEVING ILLINOIS FATHER BLAMES SANCTUARY POLICIES AS ICE ISSUES CRACKDOWN IN DAUGHTER’S HONOR
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has taken a similar stance to Pritzker, noting he strongly opposes ICE operations in the city. He criticized ICE on X for what he called due process issues and a history of wrongful detentions.
Homan has insisted that ICE remains focused on removing dangerous individuals.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson push back on Trump’s plan to send National Guard and boost ICE enforcement in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“We arrested several thousand sexual predators, many of them, sexual assault of a child, as young as two,” he said, noting that even those arrested who don’t have criminal records often had ties to gangs or national security threats.
“These are the worst of the worst that we’re focusing on.”
Despite opposition from state and city leaders, Homan said ICE will continue to ramp up enforcement nationwide, including an increase in workplace raids.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
His message to critics: “We’re [going to] do our job. If mayors and governors don’t [want to] help, then get out of the way.”
