Donald Trump’s immigration chief, Tom Homan, became defensive during an interview with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on Friday, as the host pressed him on the treatment of immigrants under the Trump administration’s deportation policies.
During the live interview on Morning Joe, Scarborough didn’t back down, asking Homan if he could guarantee that immigrants who want to “self-deport” would be treated humanely by ICE officials.
“If they go to the app or they go to ICE officials, are you guaranteeing that if they want to self-deport and do it the right way… that they will be treated humanely?” Scarborough asked.
Homan’s response was quick: “We treat all people humanely.”
Scarborough wasn’t convinced, pushing back, “A lot of people would disagree.”
That’s when Homan grew defensive, claiming the media was spreading false stories. “I know there’s a lot of bad stories out. I think it’s fake news,” he said. “But look, I’ve been doing this since 1984. We do things humanely.”
Homan continued, stressing America’s reputation as a “giving nation” that helps more refugees than any other country. “This is a very giving nation, and I’ve been in this business since 1984, and we do everything humanely.”
Scarborough didn’t let him off the hook. “Well, I think, Mr. Homan, I’ve always said America’s fed and freed more people across the world than any country that’s ever existed,” he began, before shifting to a serious criticism. “But I think… people are saying some of the situations, especially with what’s happened with people being pulled off the streets and sent down to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador without any due process—”
Homan jumped in, interrupting Scarborough, but the host insisted on finishing his point: “If you let me finish… I’ll let you finish,” Scarborough said firmly.
The MSNBC host made his point clear: “That strikes a lot of Americans as being un-American,” he said. “Even people like myself, who’ve been talking about the need for strong borders for 30 years.”
Scarborough continued, calling out what many conservatives believe is the wrong way to handle deportations. “A lot of conservatives… say they want gang members out, they want violent members out, but there’s a right way to do it and there’s a wrong way to do it. And a lot of people believe that what we’ve seen over the past three months is the wrong way to do it.”
Homan, clearly on the defensive, stuck to his guns, but the exchange left many questioning whether his defense was enough to sway public opinion on the Trump administration’s controversial immigration policies.
Watch the exchange below from MSNBC:
