Trump Border Czar Tom Homan said he's "bringing hell" with him to Boston over the city's police commissioner and chief's recent comments.

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Craig Nigrelli Anchor

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Why Trump’s ‘border czar’ Tom Homan says he’s ‘bringing hell’ to Boston

Feb 24

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Craig Nigrelli Anchor

By Craig Nigrelli (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Bast Bramhall (Video Editor)

The Trump administration and Boston police chief are involved in a political fight over immigration. “Border czar” Tom Homan has vowed to “bring hell” to Boston after the city’s Police Commissioner and Chief Michael Cox said he would not cooperate with hold requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing Massachusetts state law.
Homan also accused Massachusetts authorities of freeing sex offenders by refusing an ICE detainer request, which keeps individuals in police custody for up to 48 hours.
Boston City Councilwoman Sharon Durkan struck back on social media, calling Homan’s comments “laughable” and mocking his brief time as a police officer in West Carthage, New York, in the 1980s.

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The Trump administration and the Boston Police chief are involved in a political fight over immigration. Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has vowed to “bring hell” to the city after Boston’s police commissioner said he wouldn’t cooperate with hold requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing state law.

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What did Homan say?

Homan criticized Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox at the Conservative Political Action Committee on Saturday, Feb. 22, and promised to visit Beantown.

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“I’m coming to Boston, and I’m bringing hell with me,” Homan said.

Homan also accused Massachusetts authorities of freeing sex offenders by refusing an ICE detainer. ICE detainers keep individuals in police custody for up to 48 hours.

Homan quickly pivoted back to Cox, saying, “You’re not a police commissioner. Take that badge off your chest. Put it back in the desk drawer, because you became a politician. You forgot what it’s like to be a cop.”

What are Boston politicians saying?

Boston City Councilwoman Sharon Durkan struck back on social media, calling Homan’s comments “laughable” and mocked his brief time as a police officer in West Carthage, New York, in the 1980s.

“Laughable that someone who spent their career policing a town smaller than a Fenway Park crowd thinks they can lecture Boston on public safety,” Durkan wrote on X.

Who is Tom Homan?

Homan eventually became a Border Patrol agent. He has worked for ICE under the Obama administration as well as Trump’s first, and now second administration.

What did Michael Cox say?

Cox has not responded to Homan’s claims, but his comments sparking the political backlash stemmed from an interview with local television station WCVB.

During the interview, he said state law prevented him from working with ICE on civil detainers and immigration enforcement.

“What people don’t understand, is there is a difference between criminal warrants and civil detainers,” Cox said. “Any criminal warrant is someone wanted outside the state, and if there is a warrant involved, we will absolutely enforce it, we will enforce federal ones, if there is a warrant involved, because we’re almost mandated to. But civil detainers are the defining line, that we just don’t do that because it’s immigration related.”

What is the bigger picture?

Boston’s Office of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations recently reported several arrests of undocumented immigrants, including MS-13 gang members.

Earlier this month, federal immigration authorities in Boston arrested an undocumented migrant from Guatemala charged with multiple counts of rape.

Tags: Arrest, Barack Obama, Border, Border crossings, Border czar, Border patrol, Boston, Donald Trump, Immigrant, Immigrant parole program, Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Police, Police officers, Police raid, Tom Homan, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.-Mexico Border, White House

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND BOSTON POLICE CHIEF ARE EMBROILED IN A POLITICAL FIGHT OVER IMMIGRATION.

WITH TRUMP’S BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN VOWING TO “BRING HELL” TO BOSTON AFTER ITS POLICE CHIEF MICHAEL COX SAID HE WOULD NOT COOPERATE WITH HOLD REQUESTS FROM U-S IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT OR ICE, CITING MASSACHUSETT’S STATE LAW.

HOMAN CRITICIZING COX AT C-PAC AND PROMISING TO MAKE A VISIT TO BEANTOWN AS COVERED BY FOX NEWS OVER THE WEEKEND.

[TOM HOMAN]

I’M COMING TO BOSTON. I’M BRINGING HELL WITH ME.

YOU’RE NOT A POLICE COMMISSIONER. TAKE THAT BADGE OFF YOUR CHEST. PUT IT IN THE DESK DRAWER BECAUSE YOU BECAME A POLITICIAN. YOU FORGOT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A COP.

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

BOSTON CITY COUNCILMEMBER SHARON DURKAN STRUCK BACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

CALLING HOMAN’S COMMENT’S “LAUGHABLE” AND MOCKING HIS BRIEF TIME AS A POLICE OFFICER IN WEST CARTHAGE, NEW YORK IN THE 1980S.

DURKAN WROTE:

“LAUGHABLE THAT SOMEONE WHO SPENT THEIR CAREER POLICING A TOWN SMALLER THAN A FENWAY PARK CROWD THINKS THEY CAN LECTURE BOSTON ON PUBLIC SAFETY.”

SHE ALSO DEFENDED COX, SAYING HE “SERVES WITH DISTINCTION AND EARNS TRUST WITH INTEGRITY.”

HOMAN EVENTUALLY BECAME A BORDER PATROL AGENT AND HAS WORKED FOR ICE UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS UNDER TRUMP’S FIRST– AND NOW SECOND ADMINISTRATION.

COX HAS NOT RESPONDED TO HOMAN’S CLAIMS, BUT HIS COMMENTS IGNITING THE POLITICAL BACKLASH STEMMED FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL TELEVISION STATION W-C–V-B, WHERE HE SAID STATE LAW PREVENTED HIM FROM WORKING WITH ICE ON CIVIL DETAINERS AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.

[MICHAEL COX]

WHAT PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND IS THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRIMINAL WARRANTS AND CIVIL DETAINERS. ANY CRIMINAL WARRANT IS SOMEONE WANTED OUTSIDE THE STATE, AND IF THERE IS A WARRANT INVOLVED, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY ENFORCE IT, WE WILL ENFORCE FEDERAL ONES, IF THERE IS A WARRANT INVOLVED, BECAUSE WE’RE ALMOST MANDATED TO. BUT CIVIL DETAINERS ARE THE DEFINING LINE, THAT WE JUST DON’T DO THAT BECAUSE IT’S IMMIGRATION-RELATED.”

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

BOSTON’S OFFICE OF ICE ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL OPERATIONS RECENTLY REPORTED SEVERAL ARRESTS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING M-S-13 GANG MEMBERS.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES IN BOSTON ARRESTED AN UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANT FROM GUATEMALA CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE COUNTS OF RAPE.

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Bias Summary

Tom Homan, the Trump administration's border czar, warned Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox about not cooperating with ICE, stating, "I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
Homan's comments follow tensions over Massachusetts' sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with ICE.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu defended Commissioner Cox, stating, "It’s pretty clueless for someone to be insulting our police commissioner."
Wu will testify before a congressional committee regarding sanctuary city policies alongside other city mayors.

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Bias Comparison

Media outlets on the left emphasize Homan’s aggressive tone and threats against sanctuary cities, highlighting the confrontational language used during a politically charged speech.

Media outlets in the center portray Homan’s comments as a reaction to local policies, focusing more on the implications of sanctuary status and less on Homan’s rhetoric.

Media outlets on the right highlight the operational aspect of Homan’s immigration agenda, emphasizing results of stricter measures rather than just the emotional appeal of his message.

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