Former Trump border advisor warned current deportation tactics risk public support

Former Trump Border Advisor Warned Current Deportation Tactics Risk Public Support

Exclusive interview reveals internal concerns over scope of immigration crackdown

By Richard Luscombe

February 10, 2026

Tom Homan, the former immigration official dispatched by the Trump administration to manage fallout from fatal protests in Minnesota, privately warned last year that the government’s widespread deportation operations would erode public backing, according to a forthcoming book.

In a June interview for “Undue Process” by NBC News homeland security correspondent Julia Ainsley, Homan argued that enforcement should focus narrowly on immigrants with criminal records to “keep the faith of the American people.”

“I think the vast majority of the American people think criminal illegal aliens need to leave,” Homan told Ainsley, as reported by NBC News on Monday. “And if we stick to that prioritization, I think we keep the faith of the American people.”

The remarks stand in stark contrast to the reality of the past year. Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested nearly 400,000 people. Data obtained by CBS reveals that less than 14% of those arrested had charges or convictions for violent crimes, undermining the administration’s stated focus on removing “the worst of the worst.”

The aggressive tactics have included large-scale roundups, the deployment of National Guard and Marine units to cities like Los Angeles, and violent clashes with protesters. In January, ICE officers fatally shot two U.S. citizen protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during operations in Minneapolis, leading to Homan’s appointment as a special advisor to the region.

Homan, who served as Trump’s acting ICE director during his first term, acknowledged in the interview that stories of non-criminal immigrants being swept up would cause the public to “question what we’re doing more.”

Yet, he also defended so-called “collateral” arrests. “If you’re in the country illegally, you’re not off the table,” he said. “If we find you while we’re out there looking, you’re going to be arrested.”

His recent assignment to Minneapolis followed the removal of Gregory Bovino, the senior Border Patrol official who led the initial crackdown. While Homan has since announced a partial drawdown of federal officers from the city, advocates report no significant nationwide decrease in the pace or scope of enforcement actions.

The tension Homan identified—between a publicly popular focus on criminals and a much broader enforcement net—appears central to the administration’s current challenges. Despite Trump’s recent call for a “softer touch,” the data suggests the majority of those arrested do not fit the administration’s own priority framework, risking the very loss of public support that Homan cautioned against.