Tom Homan Fires Back After Democrat Chris Murphy Accuses ICE of ‘Terrorizing Little Kids’
White House border czar Tom Homan is pushing back against Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy after the Connecticut lawmaker accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of targeting parents at school bus stops in an effort to “terrorize little kids.”
Murphy made the accusation Friday while criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign. He claimed ICE agents operating in Danbury, Connecticut, were targeting parents waiting near school bus stops rather than focusing on dangerous criminals.
Homan strongly rejected that characterization during a Sunday television appearance, calling Murphy’s accusations political rhetoric and defending ICE officers for carrying out federal immigration laws passed by Congress.
“ICE isn’t in the business of terrorizing children,” Homan said. He acknowledged that some illegal immigrants arrested by federal agents are parents, but insisted that frightening children is not the purpose of immigration enforcement operations.
Homan said he was not personally familiar with the specific arrest Murphy referenced and promised to obtain additional information. He nevertheless rejected the broader suggestion that ICE agents were deliberately positioning themselves at school bus stops to intimidate families.
The Department of Homeland Security went even further, flatly denying Murphy’s allegation. A DHS spokesperson called the senator’s account a “work of fiction” and accused him of using immigration officers to score political points.
Federal officials also pointed to what they described as a dramatic increase in violence and threats against immigration officers. DHS said assaults against agents have increased 1,300%, vehicular attacks have risen 3,200% and death threats have surged 8,000%.
The controversy centers partly on recent immigration enforcement activity in Danbury. DHS identified one man arrested during the operation as 28-year-old Leonel Geovanny Morocho-Arteaga.
According to DHS, Morocho-Arteaga illegally entered the United States before being apprehended by Border Patrol and released in 2021. Federal officials said agents conducting a targeted vehicle stop Wednesday discovered a large kitchen knife inside the center console of his vehicle.
DHS also said a child connected to the case remained in the custody of her mother. The department did not publicly explain the child’s exact relationship to Morocho-Arteaga.
Local officials and immigration activists have presented a different account of the broader enforcement operation. Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves said nearly 50 community members were detained during the week and reported ICE activity near schools and a daycare.
An immigrant advocacy organization additionally claimed that four parents were detained while school buses were present. DHS, however, maintains that agents were not specifically targeting parents because they were waiting at school bus stops.
The confrontation comes amid continued controversy over the Trump administration’s decision to rescind Biden-era restrictions governing immigration enforcement around so-called sensitive locations. ICE officers now have greater discretion to conduct enforcement operations in or near schools, hospitals and houses of worship.
Homan has consistently argued that immigration laws should be enforced regardless of political pressure from Democratic officials. The administration maintains that being a parent does not exempt someone who is in the country illegally from possible arrest and deportation.
Murphy has emerged as one of ICE’s most vocal critics and has repeatedly condemned Trump’s mass-deportation campaign. His latest accusation adds to an increasingly bitter political fight over how federal immigration officers conduct arrests inside American communities.
Homan, however, says the accusation that agents are deliberately terrorizing children crosses the line from legitimate policy criticism into political attacks on law enforcement. The administration’s message remains unchanged: ICE agents will continue enforcing federal immigration law despite opposition from Democratic lawmakers.