Border Czar Responds to DHS Reform Proposals by Democrats

Border czar Tom Homan reacted to the partial government shutdown during an interview on ’Face The Nation’ on Feb. 15.

White House border czar Tom Homan attends a press conference in Minneapolis on Jan. 29, 2026. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Border czar Tom Homan said on Feb. 15 he doesn’t like that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wear masks during operations but said that face coverings are necessary for their protection.

“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers, you know, are up over 1,500 percent, actual assaults and threats are up over 8,000 percent, these men and women have to protect themselves,” Homan said during an interview with fill-in anchor Ed O’Keefe on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”