Trump's Border Czar Faces Fallout in His Hometown for Locking up Immigrant Family: 'They'll Take Whoever They Can'

Trump administration border czar Tom Homan faced public outcry in his hometown of Sackets Harbor, New York following the detention of a mother and her three children during a recent operation at a local dairy farm.

The episode even drew condemnation from state governor Kathy Hochul, who labeled it as "plain cruel," adding that she could see "no public safety justification for ICE agents to rip an innocent family, including a child in the third grade, from their Sackets Harbor home."

The family, who had been living in the area and whose children attended the local school, was transferred nearly 1,800 miles away to a detention facility in Karnes County, Texas. This has prompted a community-led effort demanding their release, with local residents conducting a rally that passed by Homan's home. Overall, some 1,000 people marched, with some carrying signs and most chanting "bring them home."

"We've seen it occur right in the last 60 days across the country, but when it happens in your backyard, I think that's what garners people's attention," said Jefferson County Democratic Committee chair Corey Decillis, according to NBC News.

The operation, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, targeted a South African man suspected of trafficking child sexual abuse material. The family, along with several others, were taken into custody as "collateral" arrests during the execution of the search warrant. A CBP spokesperson said those detained "were not part of the original investigation" but were nonetheless processed and transferred to ICE, as The Intercept reports.

Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney told The Intercept that the detention of the three students has traumatized the school community:

"Three of their classmates were taken, and they don't know where they are and they don't know if they're going to come back. We're talking about elementary school, middle school, and high school kids who are all impacted by the absence of their classmates who are detained"

Gaffney went on to say that "it's been a very, very difficult few days for teachers and staff and students."

The family was reportedly following the proper legal process for immigration, with court dates scheduled. "They were actually following the process," said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition. "That's why we're saying they were unjustly detained and demanding that they be returned to their community."

"What we have been seeing is ICE at random detaining people who are not the people they're looking for," Awawdeh added. "They go in allegedly looking for someone else and then they'll take whoever they can find just so they can meet their quota numbers that Donald Trump has put in place."

Homan defended the operation in an interview with WWNY on Friday, saying the presence of children required additional precautions. "During investigations like that, we have to ensure that any children within that area are safe," he said, adding that the family may have information relevant to the primary investigation and added that the facility in Texas is "an open air campus," not a jail.

He also justified the operation:

"It wasn't a raid. It was a search warrant execution at a house where a family was found in the country illegally. ICE is doing everything by the book. Once the investigation gets to the point where we don't have an interest in this family, then a decision will be made on release"

As the investigation continues, ICE has yet to announce whether the family will be returned or remain in deportation proceedings.

Originally published on Latin Times