Official portrait of Tom Homan

Tom Homan

Border Czar / Acting ICE Director

Appointed as "border czar" in January 2025. Oversaw the dramatic expansion of immigration enforcement including the rescission of the sensitive locations policy (allowing ICE raids on churches, schools, hospitals), record deportation flights to 79 countries, workplace raids, and the expansion of the detention system to record levels.

Linked Incidents

9 Total incidents
6 Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern
3 Serious Rights Violation
3 potential

Grade 3 of 5: Serious Rights Violation

Rescission of ICE Sensitive Locations Policy — Churches, Schools, and Hospitals Open to Raids

The rescission of the sensitive locations policy removed decades-old protections for churches, schools, hospitals, and shelters (courthouse arrests were governed by a separate ICE directive, also loosened in January 2025) from immigration enforcement. The rescission coincided with a broader surge in arrests of non-criminal immigrants and chilled access to essential services including healthcare and education.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Record ICE Detention Deaths and Medical Care Payment Halt

46 deaths in ICE custody since January 2025 mark a two-decade high. ICE's October 2025 halt of medical care payments left detainees without access to health services as the detention population reached record levels, creating conditions that contributed to preventable deaths.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

Federal officials removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador despite a preexisting withholding order barring that destination, then spent weeks litigating what it meant to 'facilitate' his return after the Supreme Court intervened. Returned in June 2025 to face criminal charges, he was released from ICE custody in December 2025, and the criminal case was dismissed in May 2026 as vindictive prosecution; the Justice Department has appealed.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Secret Deportation of 252 Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

252 Venezuelans were secretly deported to CECOT, where HRW documented torture, sexual violence, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of basic necessities. At least 48.8% had no criminal history in the United States, and at least 62 had asylum cases pending. All 252 were sent to Venezuela in a July 18, 2025 prisoner exchange.

Grade 3 of 5: Serious Rights Violation

Midnight Deportation of 76 Guatemalan Children: Labor Day Weekend Mass Removal Attempt

The administration attempted a mass deportation of unaccompanied minor children in the middle of the night during a holiday weekend, circumventing legal protections that require children to appear before an immigration judge. A federal judge halted the operation after being awakened at 2:35 AM, but one plane had already taken off before turning around.

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Deportation Traps at Immigration Court Hearings and Systematic Denial of Due Process

ICE turned mandatory immigration court hearings into arrest traps, coordinating in real time with government attorneys to arrest immigrants whose cases were dismissed. Record-setting asylum denials, in absentia orders tripling to 50,000, and 'rocket dockets' processing cases too fast for legal representation destroyed systematic access to due process.