Planned protests took place around Rochester on Tuesday in response to the visit of U.S. border czar Tom Homan.

Homan stopped at the Rochester Police Locust Club following his public criticism of Rochester City Hall and its sanctuary city policy. It 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 arrived at the Locust Club, the union representing Rochester police officers, just after noon and spent an hour inside.

Flanked by heavy security, the man selected by President Donald Trump to manage what voters determined as one of the most significant issues facing the country addressed officers and pledged to support them.

“I told them I appreciate their service to the station," Homan told Spectrum News 1's Wendy Wright. "I appreciate the fact that, when you and I are sleeping at 3:00 this morning, they're out there on patrol protecting our neighborhoods.”

Homan met the rank-and-file and union leaders at the Locust Club.

“There's a lot of misinformation out there," Homan said. "They were doing immigration duties? They weren't doing immigration duties. They're making the scene safe. What they did before they left, [they] made the scene safe. Were people taken out? Yes. Were they handcuffed? Yes. You have to make the scene safe.”

Homan called out the sanctuary city policy and city leaders, including the mayor.

"I'm protecting residents of this city," Homan said. "I'm doing more to protect his residents than he is. Because I'm removing public safety threats from this area. ICE is out there right now arresting people. Our presence is clear. We're going to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats. I can't believe there's any elected mayor in this country that does that doesn't want public safety threats removed from this community, doesn't want national security threats removed from this community. I'm not asking your mayor to be an immigration officer. I'm asking him to make his community safer with the help of ICE. That's not that's not a hard ask. It's a reasonable ask."

“Our message is that we don’t need distraction, distortion and division in our community," Mayor Evans said. "That’s what this is all about — period.”

Leaders and members of the Locust Club say it means a lot to know that Tom Homan has their backs and is sending the message that police officers support police officers.

“Today was not about politics or specific policies," Locust Club President Geoffrey Wiater said. "The meeting today with Mr. Homan was about supporting the men and women on the front lines here in Rochester and beyond. He has our backs and that means everything to the embers of the Locust Club."

"I was born here," Homan said. "I was raised here, went to college here, was a college here and I will retire here. This is my home. So I'm here to show my support to the men and women who wear the badge and gun in my home area."

Homan departed just after 1 p.m. while pro-police and pro-immigration demonstrators rallied outside.

A rally also took place outside the Rochester Public Safety Building during Homan's visit and attracted a crowd from both sides of the controversy.

“I’ve always been proud to be an American, but I’m starting to get a little shaky at this point," immigration advocate Rosanne Hozie said. "I really am.”

“I understand people coming here," Back the Blue advocate Tally Steiner said. "I think people have a right to come here, but there is a process.

An overall agreement from both sides of this protest: People are unhappy with how immigrants are being handled in a sanctuary city.

“Everybody has a right to due process, and the fact that nobody is getting that right," immigration advocate Kate Schiefen said. "There’s just deportation and they’re American citizens being deported. People who are completely legal, being deported. And it’s just not fair. It’s not right. Next is going to be one of us."

“Sanctuary city is a policy, it's not a law," Back the Blue advocate Chuck Young said. "So the city can enact a policy and decide if police are going to follow with or not, but to the extent of which they get involved, when one law enforcement calls for help, everyone shows up and that’s the way it’s supposed to be."

"I’m really disturbed that the RPD officers were reprimanded for helping other first responders," Back the Blue advocate Tracy Mastramgiola said. "It’s not a political issues, it’s a person-to-person issue. If someone’s in need of assistance, they should get it.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued for an injunction against the city's long-standing sanctuary policy.

“It’s a real slap in the face to our immigrant neighbors to have Tom Homan here in town, particularly given the fact that first the Department of Justice is suing the state [and] the City of Rochester over its sanctuary status,"  immigration advocate Hannah Dickinson said. 

“Enjoy your first amendment right," Homan said. "Enjoy your protest. Doesn’t change what we’re going to do. Doesn’t effect what we’re going to do. Were going to force laws in this country.”

Demonstrators also placed banners on overpasses along I-490.

Organizers with the so-called 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement say they are calling on RPD to remove the officers involved in the Border Patrol traffic stop from duty. Protesters also called on Rochester City Council members to pass legislation that will protect and expand the sanctuary city policy.

Rep. Joe Morelle, a Democrat, issued a statement on Homan's visit: