ICE Floods 40 States To Confront Sanctuary Cities
Border Czar Tom Homan vows mass deportations as ICE deploys hundreds of officers across 40 states to confront sanctuary jurisdictions blocking federal immigration enforcement.
Tom Homan's warning cut through the Phoenix convention center: "Mass deportations are coming."
The White House border czar declared the administration would "flood the zone" with federal agents in sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement. ICE officers are rolling out across more than 40 states, confronting local governments that block federal law.
He issued the warning on May 5 at the Border Security Expo. "You ain't seen shit yet," Homan told the crowd. "This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming. We're going to flood the zone. You're going to see more ICE agents than you've ever seen before."
Purchasing records show the operation has already begun. According to SAM.gov contract data reported by USA Today, ICE plans to deploy approximately 330 people to cities in more than 40 states plus Puerto Rico. Texas will receive the largest contingent with 49 officers and staff. Other targets include Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville, Seattle and New York City.
Local governments triggered this escalation. New York's "Local Cops, Local Crimes Act" would end existing 287(g) agreements in 14 counties, effectively barring local cooperation with federal immigration agents. Arizona's Pima County and Phoenix city government enacted resolutions restricting ICE activity on municipal property, including allowing barriers to block federal officers.
"You will see collateral arrests increase in these areas," Homan warned defiant local officials. "You see more agents in your neighborhoods, because you forced us in this position."
The administration frames the "flood the zone" strategy as a necessary response to legislative obstruction that prevents routine enforcement.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pushed back against Homan's threats. "All I'll say to Mr. Homan is that Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the state of New York unless I ask," Hochul said around May 5 or 6. "I'm not asking."
Her refusal marks the deepening confrontation between federal authorities and sanctuary jurisdictions.
The aggressive rhetoric marks a strategic pivot. Homan initially softened his messaging following two officer-involved shootings in Minneapolis that killed U.S. citizens Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24. Now the administration appears to prioritize aggressive enforcement over political optics to deliver on its core deportation promise.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the enforcement push continues unabated. "We haven't missed a beat," Mullin told Newsmax on May 9. "We are still on track, pushing as hard as we can. We're just doing it in a different way."
Mullin reported DHS detained 1,900 people in a single day earlier this week and deported 2,700 people in one week.
The Justice Department is coordinating a multi-agency campaign against illegal immigration. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking at the same Phoenix expo, announced DOJ will surpass the Biden administration's total of 64 denaturalization cases within about a week. Blanche said FBI, DEA and U.S. Marshals are now working on Title 8 immigration cases for the first time in history.
Massive financial backing supports the enforcement surge. DHS received $191 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and is on track to obligate 75 percent of those funds by September 2026. In January, DHS reported that ICE staffing had already more than doubled from 10,000 to 22,000. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the agency was also hiring 11,000 deportation officers and 3,500 special agents.
Official targets reveal the administration's ambitious enforcement goals. ICE set a target of 1 million deportations per year for 2026 and 2027, according to an April 15 budget document obtained by the Washington Times. The agency aims for 400,000 immigration-related arrests annually and 99,000 detention beds in daily use.
Current removal numbers show substantial progress toward those targets. ICE removed 477,277 people from Jan. 19, 2025 through April 4, 2026, according to USA Today data analysis. Homan claimed approximately 800,000 total removals during Trump's second term through early May, though independent verification remains challenging due to limited government transparency.
The administration concedes many detainees lack criminal backgrounds. Homan acknowledged 35 to 40 percent of undocumented immigrants arrested during Trump's second term have no criminal record. USA Today data shows 35 percent of people in immigration detention as of April 4 had no criminal record or pending charges.
This enforcement approach generates political friction even within the president's base. A Politico poll found half of all Americans, including 25 percent of Trump voters, said mass deportation campaigns and ICE deployments have been too aggressive. The administration appears undeterred by these concerns.
"You see more agents in your neighborhoods, because you forced us in this position," Homan repeated. The deployment rests on a simple premise: local governments made this choice. Now residents will live with the consequences.