Homan Speaks at a CBP Press Conference in Miami on Seizures and End of Year Successes

I'm the Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs at CBP, just giving you a two minute warning right now. They're about to come up. Just a little bit of a flow of show. Mr. Holman and Mr. Scott will come up. They will both give remarks. And then right after that, we'll open it up to questions. I'll be picking on you guys for your questions. We're not under a huge time limit, so we're going to try to take as many as possible. We will have a mic going around. So Alan will be here. we'll hand you the mic, you'll ask your question and just address whoever you would like to answer and then right after they will leave and then we will have a mo boat demo for you guys to film it'll be right out this way our public affairs officers will take you down and if you don't need to go and film it that's totally fine you're still going to be exiting out this way and if there's any questions that are not answered please reach out to CBP's media relations inbox i'm on it my whole team's on it it's not going to go out into the ether we'll get that question answered for you guys any questions good okay two minute warning yep they're going to be coming up just a minute hey good morning glad to be in miami i'm just going to make a few comments i want to turn over to my good friend Rodney Scott, the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. Look, you heard me talk about this a lot. President Trump came into office with a historic illegal immigration crisis on the border, and he made promises to the American people to secure the border, enforce our immigration laws and that's exactly what we've done. As of today we've got the most secure border in the history of this nation. Nothing compares to it. Not a single release in approximately 17 months. Most secure border ever. What does that mean? Border Patrol is vigilant on the line doing their job. Less drugs are coming across killing Americans, less sex trafficking, less known suspected terrorists coming across the border. Well, when I first came into the administration, I told the president, we can secure the Southern border. We've done it in Trump 45. We can do it again and even do it better. But once we secure that border, we got worried about a couple of things. Maritime and the air. So we know maritime smuggling would increase, air would increase. We've also got a Northern border to be concerned with. I've been down to Miami a few times in the last few months to look at maritime security has never been in better shape than it is now. It's because of the man I'm about to introduce, his leadership on this issue, my friend, the Commissioner of CBP, Rodney Scott. Well, good morning, everybody. It's great to be here in Miami. Before I get started, I do want to thank Port Miami for hosting us here today. It's quite the venue. And I want to thank the members of the media for being here today, prioritizing this important engagement, because it is historic what we've done on the border. Many people in Florida or even around the country don't really think of Florida as a border state, but this is a border state. With the seaports, the international airports, the vast coastline, Florida is connected to the entire world and is on the front line of border security, and it always has been. Here, security means protecting every point of entry on the land, the air, and the sea. We understand the same principles at home, where hopefully you understand the same principles at home. Probably everybody in this room today, before they left their personal home, secured it. They locked their doors, maybe they closed some windows, but you didn't leave until you felt it was secure. Why? Because that's where the things you care about are. That's where your family is. We don't think twice about doing these things at home, but yet sometimes the border seems to get controversial and it shouldn't be. Border security is exactly like your home. We want to know who and what's coming in, And we want to make sure that our home, our national home, stays secure just like our personal homes. So I want to respectfully remind everybody where we've come from. Just two years ago, our country was being invaded by millions of illegal aliens crossing the border every single day. Why? Because there were no consequences. There were unprecedented releases into the United States. Communities around our entire country were suffering. The chaos at the border empowered the cartels to bring pretty much anything they wanted into this country with very little risk. And it put every single American community at risk, whether you're in Miami or whether you're in Chicago or some other small town. We cannot allow this to happen again. I want to fast forward to today. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullen, America has worked to achieve the most secure border in our history. I think many of you know my background as a Border Patrol agent. I walked that border for almost 30 years and I can stand here and attest to you today it is more secure than it's ever been in our history. Not just because of the numbers, but because we know more about what's crossing the border today than we ever have in history. We've done a great job on the southwest border, but I want people to remember just because that's what you get the most visuals of, that's not the only thing. We're here in Florida to highlight the domain also includes the seaports. It also includes our coastal borders and it includes the air. It comes down simply to CBP's primary mission, knowing who and what is in our country and controlling it consistent with federal law, while at the same time protecting legal trade and travel so that our economy continues to thrive. That affects Miami. That affects the entire country. So let me give you some examples of what that looks like and why I attest to the fact that our border is so secure. On the land, United States Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border this fiscal year were down, decreased 95% compared to the average monthly arrest on the prior administration. Just in September alone, Border Patrol apprehensions were down 94% compared to that monthly average. That is a major change. With fewer people attempting to cross the border illegally, we know what we're catching at a much higher level of confidence than before. And why are so few crossing? Because there are consequences now. We're actually enforcing U.S. laws. For nearly 18, almost 18 straight months now, Border Patrol has released zero illegal aliens into the country. At the same time, though, we're hitting the cartels and their trafficking networks where it hurts most, the profits. We're taking away their ability to make money. Nationwide, CBP has seized 67% more drugs in fiscal year 2026 than in fiscal year 2024. Every pound of drugs smuggled, I'm sorry, every pound of smuggled drugs that we seize does not reach an American community. It's money that does not get back to the cartels, and it's poison that cannot destroy yet another American family. Here in Florida, that work is happening every single day, across the air, at our ports, on the water, and up and down the coastlines, on the beaches. First, the maritime border is no longer an open invitation. In Miami's sector, U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions of people attempting to enter Florida by sea have dropped 94% from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2026. That means fewer people are being placed in danger, being put on unseaworthy boats by smugglers. It's actually saving lives. It means our agents can devote more resources to working with our state and local partners, our other federal partners, to identify and disrupt the networks that move these people into the country, that bring these drugs into our country and that traffic in dangerous weapons, and that is throughout the entire state. Border security also means protecting the communities from dangerous criminals. Earlier this month, I'll just give you one example, Border Patrol agents from Dana Beach Station, working alongside the Florida State Highway Patrol, arrested an illegal alien in Homestead that had prior convictions for transporting methamphetamines and a criminal record that included arrests for attempted murder, robbery, kidnapping and armed assaults. That's just one individual that's no longer a threat to our communities because he's in ICE custody waiting to be removed. Secondly, our Air and Marine Operations personnel have dramatically increased pressure on drug traffickers. In fiscal year 2026, CBP agents in Miami seized more than 17,000 pounds of narcotics compared to just 7,000 pounds before and that's not an accident that's a result of better more capacity more flight hours more float hours and enhanced cooperation and coordination with all of our partners it's a sustained focus on stopping threats before they ever reach our shorelines thirdly that partnership is working through the Caribbean on September 3rd, for example, a CBP aircraft based out of Jacksonville, Florida, detected and tracked a suspect smuggling vessel. CBP assets coordinated directly with Coast Guard, the air and surface crews to interdict that vessel. As a result, 92 bales of cocaine weighing more than 6,800 pounds were seized and three suspects were detained. That cocaine never made it even close to the United States, because CBP and Coast Guard found it, tracked it, and stopped it together. They're wearing different uniforms, but they all have the same dedicated and patriotic mission. Fourth, we're stopping weapons from flowing to the criminal networks in the Caribbean and in Latin America. Through Operation Gateway Blockade, CBP officers in Florida made nearly 200 weapons-related That's stopped over 200 firearms and 150,000 rounds of ammunition from ever reaching organized criminal networks overseas. Those weapons and ammunition will now not be used by the cartels, by gangs, or by foreign terrorist organizations that bring all these threats to us because we stop them from going out. This is what a secure border looks like. It means our officers at airports and seaports have more time and they're finding drugs hidden in cargo. and cargo. It means our air and marine agents detecting smuggling vessels hundreds of miles from the shore proactively and not waiting until they hit the beach. It means border patrol agents and local law enforcement are taking dangerous criminals off our streets every day. It means Coast Guard and CBP working side by side are stopping threats before they get to Miami or any other city or community in America. The cartels run these operations just like a business. They're in it to make money. They're in it to make a profit. They don't care about who gets hurt in the meantime. But every shipment that we seize, every weapon that we intercept, and every smuggling attempt that we stop increases their overhead costs and destroys their networks day by day. And we're winning. The message is clear. If you try to enter this country illegally by land, air, or sea, there will be consequences. You will not be allowed to stay here. If you try to move drugs or weapons into Florida, we will find you, we will stop you, and we will hold you accountable. That, my friends, is what the most secure border in American history looks like. But I'd be remiss, I want to make sure everybody understands, Tom said some nice things about me, but all the folks from the media here really need to turn around and look at who's behind you. Because this was all made possible by the dedicated men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agents, the officers, the professional staff, and all of our partners, some of them in the front row. Whether they be part of DHS like Coast Guard and ICE, or whether it be DOJ, Department of Justice, with DEA, FBI, and others, thank you. But none of it would be possible without the top cover from the President of the United States, Secretary Mullen, and an amazing board of directors that are standing right behind me, standing right behind me, because we know, and all these officers and agents know, that they have our back. And for that, I thank you, and Tom and I will be up here to take any questions you might have. Questions, I'll go right here. That'd be a question really for the Department of Justice who will be in charge of prosecuting that. It's still under investigation. There's a lot more to do. But let me say this. It's Just like the men and women in uniform in OFO that Rodney spoke about earlier, threats against ICE officers are up over 6,000 percent. Actual assaults are up over 1,400 percent. I want American people to know that ICE agents are mothers and fathers, too. They have families, too. They don't hang their heart on a hook when they come to work. They've got a difficult job, a dangerous job, more dangerous now than ever. And if you don't like what ICE is doing, then call your senator or congressman and tell them to change the law. We're enforcing the laws enacted by Congress and signed by the president. We're not making this up. President Trump's in the Oval Office because the people voted for a secure border and immigration enforcement. That's exactly what we're doing. ICE has broken historic records the last three months. Deportation numbers, highest number last month in the history of the agency. This is what American people voted for, and this is what they're getting, a safer America. And for those who question these numbers, I want to let you know, between 52% and high 70%, depending on what month you're looking at, are criminals. President Trump promised that we prioritize criminals and public safety threats, and that's what we're doing. Hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens have been removed from this country, which makes your neighborhood safer, which is part of the reason the crime rates are at an all-time low. Y'all be thanking the men and women who wear that badge and gun, whether it's OIF or Border Patrol, ICE, Air Marine, Coast Guard, DEA, they're making this country safe again, and we won't apologize for doing it. I've seen no plans, none, that places ICE agents at polling stations. I haven't seen them. And that'd be a question really for Mark Wayne and Mona, but being at the White House and seeing most operational plans, I've seen no plan of any such kind. That was a great question. So that 2025 memo was time stamped, I think time and place. It was based on the circumstances we were dealing with that day. And I'm not saying we're not doing that still, but I'll tell you it's a lot more complex than that. We have basically what we call a consequence delivery system where we look at prior consequences, whether it be prosecution or removal or removal to a specific part of another country. And we watch the trends that when we apply that consequence, do we see that person come back and be a repeat offender? So we're constantly changing that. But here's the thing that's changed the most. There's a consequence. If we think prosecuting you is the best way to make sure America stays safe and that's the best use of taxpayers' resources, we're going to put every effort into prosecuting you. If we think removing you is going to be the best payback for the American taxpayer, we're going to remove you. But none of that takes place now, and this is a huge difference, please pick up on this, between the last administration and this administration. None of that takes place before a deep dive interview so we can make an informed decision. We can figure out who the cartels are. We can figure out who they paid, how they got here. And if they paid a dime to any of the organizations that are designated as foreign terrorist organizations, we're going to prosecute them for material support to a terrorist organization, not just illegal entry. So that is a menu for every single individual we arrest now. But we're not losing the intelligence because agents and officers have time now. They have time to do that interview. And then we make informed decisions of which consequence is most effective. no one should fear ICE operations or in their country legally I mean we're here to enforce the law again we're not making this up I want people to realize they say why did you arrest this person he's just illegal hasn't committed any crime every person that crossed the border legally commits a crime first of all second of all the message you want to send to the rest of the world is enter the country legally it's a crime don't worry about it get order removed by immigration judge but you didn't commit a crime don't worry about it if that's the message you want to send the whole world we'll lose the border again the most vulnerable people put themselves in harm's way and let's remember there are millions of people standing in line taking their tests doing a background investigation paying their fees to be part of the greatest nation on earth if you enter this country illegally you cheated the system it's that simple now i've done this since 1984 it's very emotional job very controversial job but we have laws enforcement. That's what we're going to do. And for some of those illegal aliens who have no criminal history, we'll give them the opportunity to get in front of an immigration judge. Plead your case in front of a judge. I think that's better than being in the shadows, being overworked, and underpaid. Give them an opportunity to make their case. I'm sorry, Mr. Huffman. What is the target for the American government? Do you feel it's going to exist? Do you achieve the target Well, I've never had a quota, right? I've never had a quota. I want ICE officers out there to enforce immigration law. As the president said from day one, he wants to prioritize public safety threats and national security threats. That doesn't mean everybody else is off the table. We find them, we're going to arrest them. We're looking for final orders, people who had due processed or removed? Yes, we're looking for them. We're looking for people that overstayed their visas. But the president said, let's talk about, let's prioritize criminals first. I'm happy that at the end of the year, the majority of people arrested by ICE is a criminal. Now, you've got some media outlets, ah, it's 14%, because they want to reclassify what a criminal is. DUI is not criminal enough. 12,000 people a year die from DUI. I think it's pretty criminal. So the bottom line is based on the data I see provided by ICE. Every morning I see 22 pages of data provided by ICE and the Border Patrol. Over half the people we've arrested this year are criminals. Our definition of criminal is you have a criminal conviction or you're pending criminal charges because we found you in a jail. So I'm happy they stuck to the priorities the president did that he put out. But you know what I'm happy about? June, ICE arrested more people than any time in the history of that agency. July, they broke June's record. August, they broke a brand new record, beating June and July. Just this last month in September, they removed more illegal ants from this country, removed, deported, than any month in the history of the agency. They're breaking records every day. Despite some people all say we're not doing enough. Are we doing enough? No. There's a lot more to do. We're hiring seven more thousand agents, so next year I think numbers be better. Well, that's the fact. So do I think we achieved what we wanted? Yeah. Is there more to do? Yes. Do I want more? Yes. But considering the resources we have, and I'll mention one more thing for those who say these numbers aren't high enough. What they don't understand, there's a process. We just don't arrest somebody and put them on a plane and send them home. Many of them have a right to see a judge and maybe help anyone who had to be in detention for a long time. We got over 100 nationwide injunctions filed by liberal judges that are slowing us down on arrests, especially deportations. Over 85,000 habeas cases where these people have been released. Now we got to go find them again. So we're fighting the courts, liberal courts. So there's a lot of sanctuary cities. There's a lot of roadblocks put in front of ICE. But if you look at historic numbers, despite those roadblocks, they're performing greatly. As far as Minneapolis, look, mistakes were made. That's why a couple people have been indicted. But the vast majority of men and women of ICE are doing a great job every day. I didn't ask to go to Minnesota. The president sent me to Minnesota. And I think Minnesota is better off today than it ever has been. Why? Because we got cooperation with just about every sheriff in that state, if not all of them in one way or another. States cooperating, probation pros cooperating. What does that mean? Rather than sending seven agents in the community to arrest a bad guy, now we can arrest that bad guy in the safety and security of a jail, which is safer for the agent, safer for the alien, and safer for the community. That's smart enforcement, and that's what we should be doing. I was hoping places like New York and Chicago would follow that model, work with us. Let us arrest a bad guy in the safety and security of a jail, because if you don't, we're going to do our job, which means we go to the neighborhood, and we'll find the bad guy, And many times they're with others. If they're in the country illegally, they're coming too. Even though they're not the target of that operation, they're coming. We're going to enforce immigration law. We'll go right in the back. I didn't hear your topic, the specific issue. I think that's exactly why we're here today, is to remind people that this is a border as well. And even though we've been operating here all along, what securing the southwest border has done for us is to free up resources and assets to actually put in this area as well, to spread those resources out. For example, when I talk about the border wall infrastructure, I remind people that a short 12-mile section where we were proving out these concepts in San Diego allowed us to free up 150 agents every 24 hours. Those agents didn't get sent home. They got spread out. So today we have more aircraft flying down here, we have more boats, and we have more Border Patrol agents patrolling, and they're integrating everything they do every day with the interagency law enforcement community. So we're getting better and smarter about what we're doing to make sure that the threat doesn't increase and doesn't shift into this area because we know, hey, guess who didn't just give up? The cartels and the foreign terrorist organizations. They're going to keep prodding, they're going to keep trying, but they're not going to beat us because we're readjusting our resources very, very quickly to make sure this does not become a bigger threat. I just want to add some remarks. I was down in Puerto Rico last week. I was in Miami last week. Like I told you, we knew once we locked down the southern border, they're going to take to the water, they're going to take to the air, they're going to take to Canada and try to come across. Working with the men and women last week, the Coast Guard, Air Marine, Border Patrol, OFO, you guys are in pretty good shape. But there's some vulnerabilities, and that's why me and Ronnie are working. There are vulnerabilities. You are not as locked down as the southern border. So we're going to work very hard these next two years to make sure the maritime in the air has the resources, technology, and boots on the ground that they need to secure this maritime border. You're in Puerto Rico. Think about this. 360-degree border. It's all border. And from the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, there is a threat and vulnerability. The men and women here are addressing it, but we need to give them more so they can do more and lock it down. Two more questions right here and here. Yeah, I have a report. I get the numbers every day. I can see what the numbers are. But right now what they go through is a validation of the numbers. So the White House should be releasing those numbers soon because they want to make sure we've got the right numbers. But let me make one thing clear because I hear this. ICE is padding the numbers. They're claiming border returns as ICE arrests. No, they're not. No, they're not. Every day when I come to the office, I tell you, I got border patrol report. I got ICE reports. When I said June, July, and August are record months, they were ICE numbers. No border patrol numbers in there, unless someone's lying to me. I see the reports. They're all reported separately. And I think once they validate all those numbers, because there's a lag on deportation. It might take two weeks to actually key it in after they actually remove them. But I think very soon you're going to see the year-round numbers across the board. What did Border Patrol do? What did ICE do? Once that's validated, I won't get ahead of the president, but the White House will be making the announcements. ICE has taken a lot of criticism. Is there anything that you wish we had done differently? You mentioned not being able to lock down a sub-border. First of all, I go to bed every night praying that the men and women here, Border Patrol, ICE, Coast Guard, I pray that everyone will go home safe to their families. I've handed enough folded flags to Border Patrol agents and ICE agents. I don't want to do that ever again. I also pray that no lives are taken. So tragedies have happened, and no one wants to see that. What I pushed for hard was body cameras. I know that upsets some people. I don't care. I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he takes action, whether that's putting hands on somebody, whether that's pulling out a firearm. You can have city cameras, you can have cell phone cameras nearby, but I want the American people to see what that officer sees when he decides to take that action. Mistakes are made, and there's accountability going on now. But again, the vast majority of Border Patrol agents and ICE agents, they do a great job every day. What I want to see here, I met with all this leadership just last week. Coast Guard needs more assets. Air Marine needs more assets. Border Patrol needs more assets. You know what? Thanks to the big, beautiful bill and President Trump, we have a lot of money. So now that the southern border is locked down in the best way it ever has been, me and Ron were just talking on the airplane on the way down there. Now what do we do? What assets, infrastructure, intelligence do we need to deploy in the northern border maritime? This is an ongoing discussion. That's why I was down there last week. Despite what the media says, I wasn't down here running an operation. I came down to meet the men and women who are working this maritime border. And they're doing a great job. But what I heard, they need more. And that's the discussion I had with Rodney. Rodney's always, wherever, if I want to come down and foot stop, what do you need, air marine? You got enough planes. You got enough boats. You got enough radar. You got, you know, what do you need? I talked to the Coast Guard for the same thing. And me and Rodney are working on that right now. So there are gaps. There are gaps. And we're going to fix those gaps. because I talk to men and women, the experts, who are doing the job every day and listen to what they're seeing every day and listen to what they think will help lock it down. Thank you, press. Guys, there's going to be a live AMO demo outside. If you'd like to go and participate in that and get some footage, our PAO officer will walk you that way. But outside of that, this will be the exit for the press conference. Thank you so much.