| No Images? Click here   Thomas Homan, the man President Donald Trump has picked to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is unlike anyone who has run the agency before him. Last week, Roque Planas wrote a piece explaining why. We asked him about the story.How did this story come about? Thomas Homan is by far the most controversial person to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement since it was created in 2003. He's made news repeatedly for saying contentious things, like that unauthorized immigrants should be afraid under this administration, or that the Justice Department should consider prosecuting local officials that embrace sanctuary policies. When I started looking at the trajectory of ICE leadership, it became really clear that his law enforcement background made him unique. He's a former police officer and Border Patrol agent who describes himself with great pride as a "cop," but he now holds a position that is almost always held by a career lawyer. I thought he deserved a full profile to give readers a better sense of him, not least because he'll have to be confirmed within the next few months by the U.S. Senate. What was the hardest thing about reporting, writing or editing this piece? Very few people wanted to talk on the record. In all I spoke with about a dozen people who worked with Acting Director Homan over the years, along with Homan himself. But only a handful of the folks I talked allowed me to put their names into the piece, even if they'd left the agency or government service altogether. What was the most surprising thing you found? In law enforcement circles, people really love Homan. Even those who criticize the direction ICE is moving with Homan at the helm, speak very highly of him. The folks who worked on prosecutorial discretion during the Obama administration had thought of him as very much on their side and were totally blown away by how he's acted since becoming acting director. For some of the people who paid close attention, there were signs that his political orientation might match Trump's on some level. He's a career law enforcement guy and very sensitive to any criticism of police, ICE — anyone who wears a uniform pretty much. And he's an old school type with a conservative bent, and a dislike for political correctness — most egregiously exemplified by his use of the slur "tonk" to refer to unauthorized immigrants. (The term is a Border Patrol slang and refers to the sound that's made by bashing an immigrant over the head with those big metal-cased flashlights weighted down by a bunch of large batteries that the agents used to carry.) But for the most part, he kept all that under wraps during the Obama administration. I had expected that someone who has cultivated such a politically contentious persona would have been an equally controversial bureaucrat. That's not the case at all. What do you want readers to take away? Many HuffPost readers look at immigration with a lot of empathy for the undocumented. So as far as government bureaucrats go, Homan is one of the most demonized figures in this administration for a lot of our readers. That meant that for me the writing and reporting really revolved around trying to find the anecdotes, scenes or quotes that could humanize him. I knew I wouldn't have a problem showing how hostile or aggressive he can be, but I wanted people to see his emotional side of him. My hope is that if people can see him as a human being rather than a loud Trump administration official, they will have an easier time digesting his perspective and be more likely to wrestle with the arguments he brings to immigration enforcement debate. Haven't got enough HuffPost for the week? Don't miss our coverage of the anti-abortion leader who's emerged as a white nationalist, the "everyday guy" who took down a terrorist cell or Dennis Kucinich's big Syria problem. And read Roque's story!Love, |
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