Tom Homan said the Trump administration remains fully committed to carrying out President Trump’s large-scale deportation agenda, even as critics from both parties — and some Trump supporters — question whether immigration arrests are moving quickly enough.

Speaking in an interview with the Washington Examiner published Wednesday, Homan insisted federal immigration authorities are continuing broad enforcement operations while prioritizing individuals considered the greatest threats to public safety and national security.

“We are after everyone, but again, you’ve got to prioritize those who are the biggest threats to our national security, public safety,” Homan said.

“Am I happy with the numbers right now? No, I want more, too. Even though numbers are historic, I want more.”

According to Homan, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies have arrested roughly 641,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records since the start of President Trump’s second term, while deportations have surpassed 800,000 individuals overall.

“Total of 800,000 out of the country,” Homan said. “If you take 60% of that, criminals, hundreds of thousands of public safety threats, have been removed from this country. Name another president who’s done that.”

Homan acknowledged that immigration enforcement activity has declined somewhat in recent months, attributing the slowdown to sanctuary-city policies, unfavorable court decisions, and the 75-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown earlier this year.

“There’s a lot of argument within the world that [questions], ‘Are we keeping our promise?'” Homan said. “Numbers are slightly down, but there’s a plan: Get them back up and even higher.”

“I’ve never seen so many activist judges … which adds to the 12% decline in arrests,” he added.

The border czar also rejected accusations that ICE is focusing only on violent offenders while neglecting wider deportation operations involving other illegal immigrants.

“I know there’s a lot of noise out there about, ‘You shouldn’t be just concentrating on criminals, you ought to be arresting everybody,’ but we are pursuing a broad range of arrests,” Homan said.

Homan argued that sanctuary-city policies continue to create additional dangers because federal agents are forced to locate suspects in neighborhoods and public spaces instead of taking them into custody inside jails.

Referring to a recent conversation with Kathy Hochul, Homan said, “I explained to her again, it’s safer for the community, safer for the officer, and safer for the alien to arrest him in the safety and security of jail.”

He also indicated the Trump administration is preparing additional legal challenges against sanctuary jurisdictions around the country.

“I’ve been fighting sanctuary cities for the last 20 years,” Homan said. “I think we’ve got an … acting attorney general now that’s going to take it seriously.”

Meanwhile, according to a Newsmax report, ICE officers arrested several illegal immigrants over the weekend who had previously been convicted of violent crimes, including child rape, assault, and drug trafficking offenses.

The Department of Homeland Security said the arrests are part of the administration’s expanding immigration crackdown targeting migrants with criminal convictions.

{Matzav.com}