Press Briefing: Tom Homan Speaks to Reporters Outside the White House - June 9, 2026

Just a few.

Perfect.

Just a few. Thank you so much.

Can you, can you start with New York? I know you said you were going to surge ICE agents there. Can you tell us when we can expect that to happen?

No.

What can we expect to happen?

You can expect more ICE agents to go to New York, because Governor Hochul signed legislation that ended our 287(g) agreements, where one agent can arrest one bad guy, turned over by a jail. Now we've got to send a whole team to look for that guy. So, she took the efficiencies of the jails away in the 287(g) agreement.

So, it's only, it's math. One agent can arrest one bad guy in the safety and security of the jail, which is safer for the alien, safer for the agent, safer for the community. But, she decided to kill all that, so now we've got to send more agents to do the job that [Inaudible] one person.

Are you confident that congress is gonna pass that immigration funding this evening?

Yes.

Secretary Mullin left the night of the White House Correspondent's dinner on his private jet. Do you really think that's the best thing to do --

Pardon me?

-- for a secretary? Elina Shirazi with the Daily Mail. We recorded that Secretary Mullin left the night of the White House Correspondent's dinner, after the briefing, on his private jet, back to Oklahoma, which he does often. Obviously, the DHS oversees Secret Service. Do you really think that's in good taste?

I'm the border czar. Let's stick to immigration.

Why was the Somali referee denied entry to the United States for the World Cup?

Who?

Omar Artan. He was a referee for the World Cup and he was denied --

I'm not familiar, I'm not familiar with that case.

How are you preparing for the World Cup?

Local law enforcement enforcing federal immigration law, they can still honor detainers in, in jails. So, aren't you just punishing New York for ending --

Who honors detainers in New York? Give me a name. Give me, give me a county that honor, that honors immigration detainers.

I'm saying that's separate from 287(g). It's not the same thing. You're saying that they ended 287(g). That's --

287(g) program is a place where we get thousands of criminal aliens from. If you get arrested in a 287(g) j- -- jail tonight, you're going to be screened too. It's a, it's a, it's a colorless, e- -- everybody th- -- if I get arrested, I'll be screened to 287(g). It helps us, i- -- i- -- it gives a forced multiplier to finding criminal aliens.

Now, you, l- -- l- -- let me, Governor Hochul can say she supports the removal of criminal aliens, she wants to work with ICE in criminal aliens. Since she's been governor, thousands of criminals hit the street. She says she supports criminal aliens, but she locks us out of jail, she ended 287(g) agreement. You can't square that.

You can't square, we believe that criminal aliens should be arrested, then lock us out of jails. It's ridiculous. She's lying to the people of New York state. She's lying to the people of New York state. We're going to surge resource in New York 'cause we have to. We have to. We got Rikers Island in New York City.

I had an agreement with Mayor Adams to get back into Rikers Island. Now, if you truly believe we have a right to arrest and deport criminals, that are in the country illegally, then why am I locked out of Rikers Island? Why do they keep releasing them to the street? You can't square that. That's ridiculous.

Mr. Homan --