Homan to Democrats wanting ICE to give up masks: ‘You know what? No, we’re not!’

White House border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will continue wearing masks despite Democrats’ push to see face coverings removed during immigration operations. 

“You want us to give up masks, well, you know what? No we’re not,” Homan said during a Wednesday conversation on the “Cats & Cosby” show on WABC 770 AM. 

“I’m not putting one ICE officer at risk,” he added.

Homan and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have shared concerns about officers being doxed and exposed to retaliation for their role in immigration operations. 

President Trump also said he was a proponent of masks in a Monday Truth Social post, defending face coverings for the ICE officers who are “forced to deal with hardened criminals.”

However, Democrats have argued officers’ concealed identity prevents them from being held accountable by the public. 

Democrats have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without reforms to ICE operations including the removal of face masks, use of judicial warrants and body-worn cameras. That’s led to a long shutdown of the DHS, which also houses the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), among other agencies. TSA lines have made trips to airports around the country miserable in recent days.

Republicans have held firm to their decision not to partially fund the agency while lawmakers debate permanent changes to ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

Trump has sent ICE officers to airports to help fill in the gap for the TSA, and he asked them to forgo their masks while assisting at airports. 

On Wednesday, Homan said if the threats go down, the Trump administration would “think about” removing masks from ICE officers. 

“Right now, I’m not going to do a thing to put our ICE officers at risk,” Homan told hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby.

“If they [Congress] really believe in what they’re doing, pass a law that if the government shuts down, members of Congress don’t get paid, and let’s see how many times they shut down the government,” he added.

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