Border czar Tom Homan ripped apart MSNBC “Morning Joe” star Mika Brzezinski Tuesday after she accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of making people “disappear” during enforcement operations.
Brzezinski demanded transparency about ICE data showing 70 percent of targeted illegal immigrants had prior criminal records, a statistic highlighted by the Trump administration.
“I’d love some transparency as to why a lot of these people have been disappeared. You say you have data. We would love to see it,” Brzezinski said.
“You just said disappeared. That is a ridiculous thing to say because ICE is doing the same thing we’ve done for decades. But, because of the last four years, ICE wasn’t allowed to enforce the law. ICE was told to sit back,” Homan responded.
Homan defended ICE operations, and said they were lawful enforcement targeting public safety threats.
“We’re doing the same thing right now that we did when I started back in 1984. ICE agents are enforcing the laws enacted by Congress,” he said. “If you don’t like what ICE is doing, then go protest Congress.”
“To say we disappeared people, no. We’re arresting people that are in the country illegally and are a public safety threat. We know exactly who we’re going to arrest when we go look for them. We have a case file in front of us. We have all those facts. This is not disappearing people. This is a planned, targeted enforcement operation that we’re doing,” Homan continued.
The exchange grew heated when Brzezinski questioned ICE presence near a Boston church during recent raids under operation “Patriot 2.0.”
“I see on the show this morning, you had Gov. Healy talking about ICE doing enforcement operations in a church. False, didn’t happen,” Homan said.
“No, they were parked there. They did not do an operation there. She said they were parked in a public space legally,” Brzezinski replied.
“But to say that, and to push that out there, puts fear in the immigrant community. So let me tell you what’s happening,” Homan said.
“No, to do that puts fear in the community! To park the ICE agent’s vehicle,” Brzezinski interrupted.
“They’re on a public street, they’re on a public street. Waiting to respond to a criminal agent waiting inside the building,” Homan said. “Let me tell you, in the last couple of days, what’s happening in Boston. They’ve arrested Victor Gomez Paris, a 33-year-old criminal alien from Guatemala, with charges of aggravated rape, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, indecent assault and battery on a victim 14 years or younger. They arrested Kalie Espinosa, a 33-year-old criminal alien from Colombia with charges of aggravated assault on a pregnant victim.”
Homan also accused Brzezinski’s rhetoric of endangering law enforcement officers.
“And the comments like you just made is one of the reasons why these men and women are under threat every day, not just the men and women in ICE, but their spouses and their children. They’re not disappearing people. They’re enforcing the law,” he said.
The White House released a statement Tuesday defending Homan’s appearance and providing data to support administration claims.
“This morning, the Trump Administration’s legendary Border Czar Tom Homan delivered a clinic in beating back the endless smears and lies from the Fake News,” the White House said.
The statement cited Center for Immigration Studies data claiming 35.7 percent of illegal aliens in ICE detention have criminal convictions, 30.5 percent have pending criminal charges, and 33.8 percent are other immigration violators.
“FACT: 70% of ICE arrests have involved illegal aliens convicted of, or charged with, crimes,” the White House said.
The statement also addressed the case of Narciso Barranco, whom Brzezinski described as someone “cutting bushes at an IHOP” before being “surrounded by ICE agents wearing masks and dragged into a car.”
“He is an illegal immigrant who refused to identify himself to federal law enforcement, refused to comply with their commands, then assaulted agents with a weed whacker as he attempted to flee through a busy intersection,” the White House said.
The administration reported a 1,000 percent increase in assaults on ICE officers, up from 830 percent in July.
“ICE agents are ambushed, assaulted, attacked, and doxed amid the dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric of unhinged Democrats,” the White House statement said.
Take a look at the explosive exchange —
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Tom Homan LIGHTS UP MSNBC, has Mika tripping over herself due to all the lying!
"YOU using the term 'disappearing people?' is DISGUSTING. US CITIZENS get arrested everyday. Are they being disappeared? No, laws are being ENFORCED."
HOMAN: I see on the show this… pic.twitter.com/o3vdECN2Dp
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 9, 2025