Border czar Tom Homan clashes with CBS interviewer over migrant deaths, asks for Biden-era data

Border Czar Tom Homan sparred with CBS News correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez over statistics on migrant deaths in ICE custody, accusing the reporter of posing a “loaded question” without providing Biden-era data. Homan defended ICE’s detention standards as the highest in the industry, comparable to or lower than state and federal prisons, and highlighted the agency’s extensive medical care for detainees. He attributed any increase in deaths to a doubling of the detainee population, not a decline in care quality.

• Tom Homan, identified as a border czar, accused a CBS journalist of asking a “loaded question” regarding migrant deaths in ICE custody.
• The CBS journalist presented data suggesting 2026 could set a record for migrant deaths in ICE custody under the Biden administration.
• Homan challenged the journalist to provide the number of deaths during the Biden administration, which the journalist admitted they did not have.
• Homan asserted that ICE detention centers maintain the highest industry standards and provide excellent medical care, with death rates among the lowest compared to state and federal prisons.
• He explained that increased detainee numbers, which have doubled, lead to more deaths, and noted ICE doctors often treat serious medical issues unknown to detainees.
• A former Trump administration official criticized the journalist’s approach as “gotcha questions” lacking backup data and aimed at manufacturing sound bites.