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Tom Homan Says There Is ‘No Safe Haven’ For National Security Threats, Illegal Immigrants
Charlie Kirk Staff
01/29/2025
During a heated exchange on Monday night, President Donald Trump’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, strongly pushed back against CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins after she suggested that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations near schools could create a “chilling effect” for illegal immigrant students.
Collins said, “What we had heard from immigration advocates is that this is going to provide a chilling effect to parents in the school drop-off line, or something of that matter.”
Homan shot back, “It shouldn’t be a chilling effect unless your child is a terrorist or a public safety threat. If they are a public safety threat, national security threat, they should be chilled. They should be afraid, because we’re looking for them.”
Collins countered, “Well, if their parent is here and they’re an undocumented immigrant, I think was more of the argument that they were making.”
Homan then responded “They’re not off the table either. I mean, if they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem. It’s not okay to enter this country illegally—it’s a crime, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I were in Switzerland illegally. So, we’re gonna enforce the laws of this country.”
He emphasized, “National security threats and public safety threats have no safe haven in this country. And we’ll go where we gotta go.”
Collins’ questioning was based on a now-debunked claim by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that ICE had conducted a raid at Hamline Elementary School last Friday. The school initially claimed that teachers had prevented immigration officers from entering. However, it was later confirmed that the agents in question were from the U.S. Secret Service, investigating a separate security threat unrelated to immigration enforcement.
The false report gained traction after a Chicago Tribune education reporter inaccurately wrote, “CPS confirmed that ICE agents visited Hamline Elementary in Back of the Yards Friday in Chicago.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also reacted to the misinformation, stating, “After a week of Republicans sowing fear and chaos, the first reports of raids in Chicago are at an elementary school. Targeting children and separating families is cruel and un-American,” despite the fact that no such ICE operation had taken place.
