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Mass firings have already hit ICE offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, El Paso, and New Orleans. Seasoned ICE leaders who spent decades refining targeted enforcement are being replaced by Border Patrol agents with little experience in managing long-term deportation logistics.
“This isn’t about efficiency,” said one DHS insider. “It’s about control.”
The internal feud comes down to two radically different philosophies.
Homan and Lyons argue for a disciplined approach: prioritize criminal aliens, enforce final removal orders, and build public trust before widening the net. It’s the same strategy that helped ICE achieve record deportations during Trump’s first term.
Noem’s camp, on the other hand, wants a shock-and-awe campaign—arrest anyone and everyone in the country illegally, no matter how minor the infraction.
One senior DHS official told Fox News, “ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization.” Another added bluntly, “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They are hitting Home Depots and car washes.”
The atmosphere inside DHS has reportedly grown “tense” and “combative.” Critics warn that Noem’s push for flashy deportation numbers risks destroying years of credibility built by focusing on real public safety threats.
Still, Border Patrol agents backing Noem aren’t apologizing. “What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst?” one agent said. “Tom Homan has said it himself—anyone in the U.S. illegally is on the table.”
Behind the scenes, the chaos is producing grim results. Deportations are nowhere near Trump’s lofty goals. The administration aimed for one million removals per year—but so far, only between 100,000 and 150,000 have occurred, including voluntary departures.
In response, Noem has expanded enforcement by pulling in every available federal agency—DEA, U.S. Marshals, even IRS special agents—to flood the streets. Yet despite the manpower surge, deportation centers are overloaded, and removals are slowing down.
Internal ICE data reveals that fewer than 10% of detainees since October 2024 had criminal records. The Deportation Data Project found 65% had no convictions at all, while 93% had no violent offenses.
The result: a PR nightmare. Videos showing masked ICE agents using tear gas during raids in Chicago sparked outrage, and federal judges have slammed DHS for racially motivated arrests without probable cause.
Homan, a 34-year veteran of immigration enforcement, knows what works—and what doesn’t. He once helped ICE remove over 5,000 known gang members in a single fiscal year.
By contrast, Kristi Noem’s background is political, not operational. She built her career on photo ops and campaign speeches, not law enforcement management. Insiders say her purge of experienced ICE leaders has less to do with performance and more to do with loyalty.
One DHS official admitted the goal was “to move people around for the best results.” In plain English: replace experts with yes-men.
Even some Border Patrol agents are uneasy. They respect Homan deeply. “Tom Homan is somebody that these agents and officers are going to want to impress because they like what he’s done in the past,” said Mathew Silverman, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.
But that admiration may not be enough to stop the internal war now raging inside DHS.
For Trump, immigration is the signature promise of his presidency—and Noem knows that. Her future in the administration depends on delivering eye-popping deportation numbers, no matter the cost.
She’s even launched a national ad campaign warning illegal aliens to “self-deport” before being arrested, and she’s pushing ICE to purchase its own fleet of deportation planes—potentially costing taxpayers up to $12 billion. Congress has already handed DHS $30 billion for deportation operations, and more than $75 billion total for border enforcement.
Despite the spin, even DHS officials can’t hide the infighting. “While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country,” said spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
But few inside the agency believe that. When senior officials describe the atmosphere as “combative,” it’s clear that this is more than a staffing shuffle—it’s a battle for the soul of Trump’s border agenda.
Tom Homan came back to finish what he started: a smart, targeted crackdown on criminal aliens. Instead, he’s watching political ambition derail the system he built.
Kristi Noem wants quick headlines. Tom Homan wants results.
Only one approach will Make America Safe Again.
