Border czar Tom Homan said at a Phoenix expo on Tuesday that he’ll “flood” states and cities with ICE agents if they try to resist deportation policies
Homan is the former director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He doubled down on previous comments he’s made about going after "sanctuary cities” on Tuesday, threatening retaliation against cities and states that try to obstruct the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
“So, what's going to happen with places like New York and these others that want to pass this ridiculous legislation not to work with us? We’re going to flood the zone. You're going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen before,” Homan said at the 2026 Border Security Expo, held at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Homan’s comments weren’t directed at Arizona specifically, but they come in the wake of some Arizona municipalities taking action to restrict ICE activity in certain areas.
Gov. Katie Hobbs says she doesn’t believe there are any sanctuary cities in Arizona, but she says Homan takes a broader approach, and includes any municipality not actively cooperating with ICE.
Hobbs is calling for federal officers to work with local communities.
"When the federal government comes in and they just make this decision and don't work to gain the support of a community or even talk to the community about the impacts it will have, that undermines safety all across the board," Hobbs said.
Hobbs says she doesn’t want to see the same federal policies here that left two people dead in Minnesota earlier this year.
Both Pima County and the city of Phoenix recently enacted resolutions restricting ICE activity on county and city property. Pima County is also allowing the use of barriers like fences to block ICE agents and requiring agents to get judicial warrants.
Homan's comments are similar to those he made last April at the Arizona Capitol.
At Tuesday’s event, Homan condemned criticism of ICE and said “we’re not going to apologize” for enforcing immigration laws.
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