Tom D. Homan, the retired director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has voiced his concerns over the Biden Administration's border policies, which he believes jeopardize national security. These views were shared during his recent testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Accountability for the United States' House of Representatives.
Homan expressed grave concerns about the current state of affairs at the border under President Biden's administration. He stated, "My biggest concern about this historic self-inflicted tragedy of the Biden open border is that it has become the biggest national security failure I have seen since 9-11." Homan further elaborated on his point by saying, "You can’t obtain strong national security if you don’t have strong border security. President Biden is the first President to ever un-secure a border on purpose."
In his testimony, Homan provided several alarming statistics to highlight his points. Since Biden assumed office, nearly 1,700 illegal aliens have died in the United States, alongside 112,000 American citizens who succumbed to fentanyl overdose. Moreover, Homan noted that under the current administration, cartels have smuggled 440,000 children into the country; 100,000 of these children are completely lost upon entry.
Homan also highlighted a significant increase in arrests at the border of individuals appearing on the Terrorist Screening Data Set during Biden's tenure compared to Trump's presidency - 317 versus 11 respectively. This figure does not account for almost two million individuals who evaded capture or "got aways" as termed by Homan. He questioned, "How many of the almost 2 million known 'got aways' come from countries that are sponsors of terrorism? How many of these 'got aways' carried fentanyl?"
Furthermore, Homan observed a considerable decrease in arrests and detainments of illegal aliens under Biden's administration while there was a 370% increase in border encounters from FY 2020 to FY 2023.
Homan expressed his disappointment with the current administration's approach towards immigration laws, stating, "For three years this Administration has refused to enforce the laws passed by Congress and misled the American people about the crisis and how their systematic destruction of Trump policies caused it." He added, "The Biden administration policies, or lack of, have actively encouraged record numbers of people to make the dangerous journey to our borders. Additionally, they have released millions of illegal aliens into our communities in a flagrant abuse of immigration laws passed by Congress governing the parole, detention, and removal of inadmissible aliens."
In his testimony, Homan revealed that he had served under six different presidents: Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barrack Obama and Donald Trump. Starting as a border agent in 1984, he eventually ascended to the position of director. Homan dedicated 34 years of his life serving the United States.
