Tom Homan Opens Up About Family Separation, Death Threats, and National Security Concerns Amid Border Crisis

In a rare and deeply personal interview, Border Czar Tom Homan revealed the high personal cost of his return to public service under President Donald Trump, including the painful decision to live apart from his wife due to escalating death threats. Speaking to journalist Miranda Devine on her podcast Pod Force One, Homan offered a candid glimpse into the pressures of his role and the mounting threats faced by top immigration officials.

“I spent a lot of time with my boys growing up, but as I got more involved—climbing the ladder through ICE and now this position—I just don’t see my family very much anymore,” Homan said. “My wife’s currently living separately from me. Partly because of my demanding hours, but mostly because of the threats we’ve received.”

Describing the current political climate as increasingly hostile, Homan said the danger to his family has become too real to ignore. “It’s outrageous, honestly. The death threats aren’t just talk anymore—they’re specific, and they’re credible. I made the decision to keep her safe. She’s staying somewhere else. I see her when I can, but this is the price of doing the job.”

Homan, who previously served as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first term, stepped down after his permanent appointment stalled in the Senate. Despite the political hurdles and personal sacrifices, he returned to service at Trump’s request following the former president’s re-election in a sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I was actually out to dinner with my wife when my phone rang,” Homan recalled. “It said ‘POTUS’ on the screen. My wife looked at me and said, ‘He’s asking you to come back, isn’t he?’”

According to Homan, Trump didn’t mince words. “He said, ‘You’ve been complaining about it for four years—well, come back and fix it.’ How do you say no to that?”

As Homan settles back into his role, the threats to national security have only intensified. This week, ICE conducted a series of high-stakes raids that led to the arrest of 11 Iranian nationals across multiple states. Among those detained was Ribvar Karimi, a former sharpshooter in Iran’s elite army, who entered the U.S. under a K-1 visa—commonly known as a fiancé visa.

Karimi’s arrest occurred shortly after the U.S. conducted a military strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, heightening fears of retaliatory attacks. Although President Trump has since announced a cease-fire, federal law enforcement remains on high alert. Officials worry that Iran may activate sleeper agents on American soil in response to recent military escalations.

Karimi was apprehended in Locust, Alabama, and was found carrying identification linking him directly to the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. Immigration officials confirmed that Karimi failed to adjust his immigration status after arriving in the country during the Biden administration, violating the conditions of his visa and making him eligible for deportation.

“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been working aggressively to track down and arrest individuals known or suspected to be terrorists and extremists who slipped into the country during Biden’s open-border policies,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. “We’ve been clear from day one: We’re going after the worst of the worst.”

McLaughlin emphasized that the department is taking a proactive approach. “We don’t wait until after a tragedy to act. We’re executing President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland now, before threats become attacks.”

The circumstances surrounding Karimi’s presence in the U.S. have raised additional questions. Though he arrived on a K-1 visa, issued to those intending to marry a U.S. citizen, DHS has not identified his would-be spouse or explained how someone with a military background tied to a hostile foreign power was allowed entry in the first place.

For Homan, the episode underscores the ongoing vulnerabilities in the immigration system—vulnerabilities he says were exploited under the previous administration’s lax enforcement policies. And while the work is dangerous and often thankless, Homan insists that he won’t back down.

“This is about protecting Americans,” he said. “If I have to live apart from my wife to keep her safe, then that’s what I’ll do. But I’m not stepping away from this fight. Not now. Not when the stakes are this high.