Trump Border Czar Suggests First Amendment Isn’t All That Important
Border czar Tom Homan seems to think that free speech is the reason federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
“I begged for the last two months on TV … for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March: If the rhetoric didn’t stop, there’s gonna be bloodshed. And there has been,” Homan said at his introductory press conference in Minneapolis Thursday morning, as he takes over Operation Metro Surge from Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino.
“I wish I wasn’t right. I don’t wanna see anybody die. Not officers, not members of the community, and not the targets of our operations,” Homan continued. “For the people out there who don’t like what ICE is doing—if you want certain laws reformed, then take it up with Congress.”
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die." pic.twitter.com/l8R2lIMHa1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 29, 2026
The Trump administration’s framing of this situation is bizarre. It seems impossible for them to grasp that marching into Minneapolis with thousands of masked federal agents, doing door-to-door raids, and killing two people might elicit some resistance from the community. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and protesters being “mean” to agents is not the reason two people are dead. And if we’re so focused on rhetoric, what about the slanderous things that President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino have said about Renee Good and Alex Pretti? That rhetoric is far more incendiary than the response from the community.