Tom Homan Spars With CBS Host Over ‘Unreasonable’ Demands To Unmask Federal Law Enforcement

Border czar Tom Homan sparred Sunday with a CBS News host who pressed him about demands from Democrats to prohibit federal immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks when on duty.

Homan told CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe he thinks demands from Democratic lawmakers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal law enforcement personnel need to be unmasked on the job are “unreasonable.” The border czar then cited statistics showing an increase of violence against ICE officers in recent months during his appearance on “Face the Nation.”

“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers, you know, are up over 1500%, actual assaults and threats are up over 8000%. These men and women have to protect themselves,” Homan told O’Keefe.

The border czar appeared to cite Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data collected from January to December 2025 showing “a horrific 1,347% increase in assaults against ICE officers” as well as a “8,000% increase in death threats” against them.

“As far as identifying themselves, they all have placards identifying themselves as ICE, ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations], HSI [Homeland Security Investigations], DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration], FBI, so, they all have placards on them,” Homan continued. “So I’ll let the White House and members of Congress, you know, fight that out. But I think some of the asks are just— I think they’re unreasonable because there is no racial profiling.”

“There is [sic] identifying marks. But masks, you know, why don’t they talk about maybe passing legislation to make it illegal to dox agents or something like that? But the masks right now are for officer safety reasons,” he added.

WATCH:

O’Keefe then pointed out there are federal laws “against injuring, harming, threatening federal authorities.”

“And I think one of the things that people get hung up on is the idea that the cop on the street in their neighborhood, a state police officer, other federal agents will identify themselves with their name on their lapel. And yes, their employing agency,” the CBS News host continued. “But why should these immigration agents be any different and when it comes to the masks as well?”

“You know, cops go out every day, everywhere across the country, get threatened in one way or another, but why [do federal law enforcement agents] have to wear all that and protect themselves when there are others out there wearing badges that don’t have to do that?” O’Keefe asked Homan.

“Well, again, they are wearing badges. They’re wearing placards to identify what agency they’re from—,” the border czar replied.

“But their name isn’t on it, right?” O’Keefe interjected.

“I don’t know of another law enforcement agency in the country that has an 8,000% increase in threats,” Homan responded. “Just yesterday, the director of ICE: his wife was filmed walking to work, his home address has been doxed, his kids have been doxed and filmed. So no, I don’t know of another agency in this country that has an 8000% increase.”

During a Thursday hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons likewise testified, “There was a videotape of my wife walking to work that people actively post.”

“ICE agents don’t want to be masked. They’re honorable men and women,” Lyons told the committee. “But the threats against their family are real.”

Homan also told O’Keefe the increased presence of ICE agents in the U.S. under the Trump administration is a reaction to the lax immigration enforcement policies under former President Joe Biden.

“And look, let’s remember why we’re here, Ed,” he said. “We’re here because the last four years, over 10 million illegal aliens crossed that border, released in this country unvetted ICE has to do a law enforcement response to deal with the last four years open border, where they claim the border was secure every day and it wasn’t.”