‘We’re gonna make ’em famous’: Tom Homan announces public database to expose ICE critics

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: White House border czar Tom Homan on Thursday, January 15, announced plans to launch a public database targeting individuals who interfere with ICE operations.

The initiative aims to expose the identities of those arrested for impeding ICE officers by sharing their information with employers, schools, and local communities.

Tom Homan to publicly expose those who block ICE

The administration intends to shift the spotlight onto activists and protesters who cross the legal line into physical or operational obstruction.

Tom Homan emphasized that while the right to protest is protected, those who actively obstruct law enforcement will face legal prosecution and a coordinated effort to make their identities public.

Homan stated, "We're going to create a database where the people that are arrested for interference... We're gonna make them famous. We're gonna put their faces on TV. We're going to let their employers in their neighbourhoods, in their schools, know who these people are."

Tom Homan vows to name and shame ICE protesters

Homan specifically highlighted what he described as a discrepancy between the public personas of these individuals and their private professional lives.

He stated, "Cause I just said, a lot of these people, they say, they say they're taking time off work to protest. I bet a lot more calling and sick. I bet some other employers don't know what they're doing, but we're going. We're gonna make sure everybody knows who they are, who will broadcast, they want to broadcast the ice officer. Those nearly killed all over the internet."

By contacting employers and neighborhoods, the administration aims to create a deterrent against those who “follow ICE” and “film ICE” in ways that disrupt official duties.

Homan argued that if protesters choose to broadcast the identities of officers, the government will respond by ensuring the protesters’ own identities are widely known. 

He concluded with a firm commitment to this approach, stating, "We're going to broadcast every one of these people, we arrest."

Tom Homan’s comments follow after recent Minneapolis tensions

The push for this database follows a surge in tension in Minneapolis, where the administration has launched its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation involving over 2,000 agents.

This crackdown was recently marked by the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, by an ICE officer during a traffic stop. 

While Homan and the DHS have labeled the incident a result of "hateful rhetoric" and "domestic terrorism," local officials and protesters have accused agents of using excessive force, leading to widespread demonstrations and efforts by activists to film and document federal agents in the city.