Border Czar Says Physical Appearance ‘Can’t Be the Sole Reason’ to Detain Someone

‘I want to be clear because my words were taken out of context,’ he said about a recent interview.

Trump administration border czar Tom Homan speaks with the media at the White House on June 30, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

White House border czar Tom Homan said that previous comments were “taken out of context” and that federal immigration enforcement agents cannot detain people based on physical appearances alone.

In an interview on July 13 with CNN, Homan said that in some cases, an MS-13 tattoo or a similar gang tattoo “may be one factor to add to other factors to raise reasonable suspicion.”