Tom Homan, the White House’s border czar, warned that he’s deploying more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to New York after the state’s latest sweeping legislation limiting the agency’s actions.
In an interview June 8 on “Fox & Friends,” Homan said he plans to send “more ICE agents (than) you’ve ever seen in New York City” after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation late in May enacting protections against ICE enforcement actions.
As part of her fiscal year 2027 enacted budget, Hochul passed laws that, in part, bar federal officers from using state and local law enforcement facilities for civil immigration actions.
Homan said that when he and Hochul met a few months ago, they discussed allowing federal officers to make arrests at local jails.
“She signed the legislation anyways. So I made her a promise: You will see more ICE agents (than) you’ve ever seen in New York City. And it’s coming,” he said.
Homan also said he has “reviewed an operational plan” for an ICE surge in New York but did not specify when it would take place.
“I am not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming. I am keeping my promise,” he said. “We’re going to send more ICE agents to New York because you took away the efficiencies of safe arrests in county jails.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on June 9, Homan declined to say when the administration would surge agents to New York. He brought up long-standing disagreements with city and state officials about cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, including in past New York City mayoral administrations.
“We’re going to surge resources to New York if we have to,” Homan said.
USA TODAY reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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ICE agents detain a protester outside of the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees.
(Adam Gray, Getty Images)Kathy Hochul denounces New York ICE surge: ‘That’ll never happen’
White House Border Czar Tom Homan and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have been at odds over Immigrations and Customs Enforcement actions in New York.
On June 8, Hochul said Homan was going in a different direction from President Donald Trump‘s. She said Trump told her and other governors he promised not to send federal immigration agents to New York unless she asked.
“I’m not asking now. That’ll never happen,” she told reporters at an event in New York City. “Because they saw what happened in Minneapolis. They saw the chaos and literally the murder of two innocent civilians who were simply exercising their right to protest. They know what they could happen. They know the possibilities. I want to make sure we keep the city safe.”
She said Trump, a native New Yorker, knows the city is an economic engine of the country. An immigration enforcement surge, she said, would be “wildly disruptive.”
When contacted by USA TODAY, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office referred to his June 8 post on X addressing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities − especially at this moment. As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us,” he wrote.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, an advocacy organization, said Homan has tried to intimidate New Yorkers since Trump took office.
“Homan’s recent threats to send a wave of ICE agents to New York is clearly a desperate attempt to gain a foothold on a city that doesn’t buy the hate fueled garbage he is spewing,” Awawdeh said in a statement. “We know that sending ICE will only cause chaos, incite violence, terrorize families and destabilize our communities.”
Tom Homan‘s comments are latest vow to send ICE agents to New York
Homan’s vow to send more ICE agents to New York is not new. Last month, while speaking at a Border Security Expo in Arizona, he made similar comments.
“What’s going to happen with places like New York and people pass this ridiculous legislation not to work with us, we’re going to flood the zone,” he said “You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen before. So, congratulations.”
Hochul responded at the time: “All I’ll say to Mr. Homan is that Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the state of New York unless I ask. I’m not asking.”
To Hochul’s comments, Homan said, “I’m not asking, either.”
Homan and Hochul met in March, the governor said at the time, to address ICE operations in New York.
“New York will always work with federal immigration enforcement to take dangerous criminals off our streets, but every law enforcement agency operating in this state, federal or otherwise, must follow the same constitutional standards,” she said in a statement after their meeting.
This story has been updated.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Homan warns of ICE surge in New York after Hochul law