White House border czar Tom Homan recently defended the use of unmarked vehicles by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Homan had a contentious exchange with moderator Margaret Brennan over the implications of ICE officers displaying emergency lights while pursuing suspects. This issue came to the forefront following the fatal shooting of a man in Houston.
Homan argued that unmarked vehicles are instrumental in helping officers locate suspects and emphasized that compliance with law enforcement could have prevented recent deaths. He stated, “Bottom line is, they’d be alive today if they simply complied with a vehicle stop by federal law enforcement officers.”
Brennan raised concerns regarding the use of an unmarked vehicle before ICE officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old man. Salgado’s family claimed he mistook the pursuing officers for robbers. Brennan cited the family’s statement, “Well, the family of the man in Houston said that he thought he was being robbed because it was an unmarked vehicle.”
In response, Homan insisted that ICE vehicles are equipped with emergency lights that officers deploy during stops. He said, “They had emergency lights. They activate emergency lights. Blue lights. You know, in my vehicle I drive, where I’m with my security detail, we have emergency lights.”
Brennan countered Homan’s statements, noting that publicly available videos did not show emergency lights and that the officers involved were not wearing body cameras, making it difficult to substantiate his claims. Homan admitted he hadn’t seen the videos of the incident and acknowledged that if officers did not activate lights, “there’s an issue there.”
Homan endorsed the nationwide deployment of body cameras for ICE officers, arguing that such footage would provide the public with the officer’s perspective during encounters. “I think body cameras are the way to go,” Homan stated, “I think body cameras let the American people know what that officer sees when he takes that action.” ICE plans to require officers to record vehicle stops using at least one body camera.
The Houston shooting was notable because federal officials confirmed Salgado was not the intended target of the operation. ICE reported that Salgado had rammed a federal vehicle and tried to run over an officer, prompting the use of deadly force in self-defense. Witnesses within Salgado’s van, however, disputed this account.
Another incident occurred six days later when an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian driver in Biddeford, Maine. This individual also was not the operation’s intended target. The Department of Homeland Security noted the officer fired while “fearing for public safety” as the driver attempted to flee. Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.
A separate encounter led to the tragic death of a 28-year-old Mexican national, who was struck by a tractor-trailer in St. Augustine, Florida after fleeing federal immigration agents.
CJ Womack, associate editor at Fox News, joined the Fox News Digital team in 2026, emphasizing the critical role of journalism in shaping politics and culture. Womack holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Journalism from Long Beach State University. News tips can be sent to [email protected], and Womack can be followed on Twitter.