Homan defends ICE crackdown: "Give me an example of where we went too far"

As the Trump administration's sweeping illegal immigration crackdown draws pushback from some Republican lawmakers, White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that critics should "talk to ICE" and "educate themselves."

GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida raised eyebrows last month when she taped a campaign ad warning President Trump the Hispanic voters who helped him secure a second term "feel betrayed." She said some of the administration's tactics have "gone too far," pointing to data that shows many ICE detainees lack criminal records. Other Republicans have also raised concerns, including Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia.

In response to Salazar's comments, Homan said: "Give me an example of where we went too far. That's a pretty bold statement to make."

Homan said the Trump administration is still prioritizing people who it views as public safety threats, but anybody who is in the U.S. illegally is "deportable by federal law."

"If you're in the country illegally, you got a problem. You shouldn't be here," Homan said, later adding that "everybody we arrest has an opportunity to see a judge and plead their case."

He argued much of the criticism is "about hate on this administration and taking on Trump," pointing to ICE's high arrest and deportation figures during the Obama administration, when Homan was a senior official at the agency.

Pressed on the growing GOP criticism, Homan said: "I wish they'd sit down and talk to ICE. I wish they'd find out: What is ICE doing? How are they doing it? And educate themselves."

The Trump administration has drawn scrutiny not just for the rapid surge in arrests, but also for the government's immigration tactics — including a series of shootings by ICE agents during traffic stops, two of which resulted in migrants being killed over the summer. 

Two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were also fatally shot by immigration agents during a crackdown in the Minneapolis area earlier this year. Good's family filed lawsuits against federal officials this week, naming Homan as a defendant in one of them.

Asked about Good's death earlier in his interview with CBS News, Homan called the situation "tragic," but said he is not involved in the investigation into the shooting.

"I don't want to see any tragedies happen," Homan said. "I wish Renee Good was alive today. I wish that incident [didn't] happen, but it happened, and it's being investigated. I don't want to see anybody die."

Tom Homan on GOP criticism of ICE operations: "Give me an example on when we went too far"