ROCHESTER, N.Y. — White House border czar Tom Homan visited Rochester on Tuesday to pledge his support for the city's police officers. Homan stopped at the Police Locust Club following his public criticism of City Hall and its sanctuary city policy.
The visit stems from a traffic stop in the city last month involving Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol agents and RPD officers. Mayor Malik Evans and RPD Chief David Smith said days after the incident that RPD officers removed and handcuffed some of the people in the vehicle, which city leaders say is against the city's sanctuary policy.
Homan sat down with Spectrum News 1's Wendy Wright. Much of the discussion centered around sanctuary cities, their policies, procedures and even their existence.
But the discussion began with the fact that Homan is native to upstate New York.
“I grew up in West Carthage, New York, right outside of Fort Drum," Homan said. "I was born here. I was raised here, went to college here [and] was a cop here. And I'm going to retire here. This will always be my home. So, I'm up here to show my support to the men and women who wear the badge and gun in my home area. New York is special to me, especially upstate.”
Homan was in Rochester to back up Rochester police officers the mayor says violated sanctuary city policies while helping ICE agents with a traffic stop.
Homan has a message for the mayor and police chief.
“End your sanctuary city policies," he said. "And what I mean by that, work with us on public safety threats and national security threats that are in the country illegally. Your number one responsibility is the protection of your communities.”
“I thought his appearance in Rochester was very unfortunate," Rep. Joe Morelle weighed in from Capitol Hill. “I’ve spoken extensively with the mayor [and] our county executive. Leave us to do our work and let us continue to build a safer community, a more vibrant community. And he should stick his nose out of our business.”
“Our message is that we don’t need distraction, distortion and division in our community," Mayor Evans said Tuesday. "That’s what this is all about — period.”
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the City of Rochester and others across the state and country alleging sanctuary city laws and policies are illegal. The lawsuit alleges that Rochester’s sanctuary city laws interfere with and discriminate against the federal government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and intentionally obstruct the federal government’s enforcement of that law.
“We have to enforce the law. And that's what we're doing,” stated Homan.
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to compile a list of sanctuary cities that are not complying with federal immigration laws, which could lose federal funding.
Spectrum News 1 asked Homan if Rochester is on or will be on that list.
“Absolutely, Rochester is a sanctuary city," Homan said. "They're proud of it. The mayor announced it the other day. They may call it a welcoming city, but we all know what that is. Sanctuary cities are a sanctuary for criminals. Criminals have no sanctuary in this country, not under this president. Maybe they did under Joe Biden, but there is no sanctuary for public safety threats and national security threats in this country under the Trump administration."
Homan says to expect consequences if you get in the way of ICE doing its job.
“You cross that line on harboring and concealing illegal aliens or impeding our efforts," he said. "It's a felony. It will be treated like a felony.”
Whether he’s working in his own backyard, at the border or on a sanctuary city street, Homan says he will not be deterred.
“It's a great honor to be working for the president. But I want to be clear: I'm not running a popularity contest. I know people in this country don't like me. I don't care. So we'll keep doing what we’re doing, love or hate. We're doing the right thing," he said. "We're making this country safer every day by every criminal alien threat removed from this country and we're not going to stop. Sanctuary cities won't be sanctuaries. We'll take you to court. We'll sue you. Maybe we win, maybe we won't. But one thing that won't happen. You won't stop what we're doing.”
Homan says ICE works in every major upstate New York city on any given day. There are offices throughout upstate and agents on the ground daily.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans has said he will defend and protect the city’s residents and their interests and will make sure the city defends any lawsuit.