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White House border chief Tom Homan blasted critics of President Donald Trump's immigration plan on Friday, recalling horrific scenes from his decades in border enforcement — including migrants he said were “baked to death” in trailer-trailers — as he said secure borders save lives.
Homan used the graphic news during remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Policy Conference in Washington, DC, to hit back at critics who accused the Trump administration of being humane, saying that instead of using strict border control, it saves lives by preventing migrants from making the dangerous journey controlled by companies.
“I want to talk about why I'm angry this morning,” Homan told the crowd, arguing that media coverage has falsely suggested that Trump's immigration policies are cruel or cruel.
CZAR TOM HOMAN SLAMS CATHOLIC CHURCH, SAYS 'Border Security Saves Lives'
White House border commissioner Tom Homan is seen holding a press conference near the border wall between San Diego, Calif., and Tijuana, Mexico, on Dec. 13, 2025, to announce increased security on the Southwest border. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Homan said. Instead, the border czar said critics pushed back, saying relaxed border enforcement created conditions for immigrants to be exploited, beaten or killed by smugglers and carters. “What President Trump is doing is saving lives,” Homan told the crowd.
He then described one of the most vivid scenes he saw during his work to strengthen the borders.
“I stood in the back of a tractor trailer with 19 dead people at my feet,” Homan told a crowd at the Washington Hilton on Friday morning, adding that the victims included a small boy and that they were found in their underwear as they tried to escape the extreme heat in the back of the truck.
“They all baked to death,” Homan said. “I got to that crime scene. They were all in their underwear, trying to escape the 170 degree heat in the back of a metal truck with no ventilation. Think how these people die.”
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The Texas Department of Public Safety said about 50 illegal immigrants were found in a junkyard trailer in Webb County and turned over to the Border Patrol. The five old men who got out of the trailer first were caught. (Texas DPS)
Homan also said that he had spoken to young girls who were raped by cartel members while on a trip to the American border.
“I got down on my knees to talk to 9-year-old girls who were raped multiple times by gang members,” said Homan.
“That's what happens when you have an insecure border,” he added. “Well, guess what? There's no little 9-year-old girl right now that everyone is kneeling down and talking to. President Trump has closed the border.”
Homan has repeatedly defended Trump personally and politically, saying the president has delivered “the most secure border in the history of this nation” and saying the administration's crackdown on immigration is aimed at preventing mass deaths, smuggling and carjacking.
US President Donald Trump's deportation agenda has faced criticism from Democrats and immigration rights advocates. (Michael M. Santiago and Nathan Howard / Getty Images)
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“Secure borders save lives,” Homan said at the end of his speech. “Secure borders protect our national security. No one has done it better than President Trump. And we're not done yet.”
The comments came as the Trump administration continues to be criticized by Democrats and immigration rights advocates for its crackdown on mass deportations, increased immigration enforcement and efforts to roll back Biden-era border policies. Homan, however, has framed this as a moral imperative, saying the administration is making the country safer while reducing incentives for immigrants to put themselves in the hands of criminal gangs.
