PoliticsTom Homan Accuses CBS of Asking 'Loaded Question' on ICE Migrant Deaths, Demands Biden Administration Numbers
Homan tried to flip a tough question into a 'gotcha moment' on CBS.
Oct. 6 2026, Published 1:39 p.m. ET
Border Czar Tom Homan took a basic question from a CBS reporter about rising deaths in ICE detention as a political attack and implied that Joe Biden's administration was worse than Donald Trump's at taking care of detained migrants.
Homan argued that migrants in ICE detention actually received top notch care in an interview with the network's immigration correspondent, Camilo Montoya-Galvez.
CBS Asks Why ICE Detainee Deaths Are Increasing
ICE detention deaths have more than quintupled under Trump.
Montoya-Galvez pressed Homan on the fact that deaths in immigration detention centers were on pace to be a "record high" in 2026.
"We looked at official ICE data, sir, and found that 57 people have died in the agency’s custody so far under this administration,” Montoya-Galvez said. “In fact, somebody was just reported to have died in ICE custody today by the agency. 2026 could set a new record high in the number of detainees dying."
"What is being done to prevent that?" he continued. "And I know one partial explanation is that more people are being detained and, so tragically, more people are dying. But that can’t be the only explanation, can it be?”
Homan Accuses Biden Numbers of Being High — But Doesn't Provide Numbers
Homan tried to imply Biden's rate was bad, but did not give the numbers.
Homan immediately fired back, “How many people died during the Biden administration? How many people died in custody during the Biden administration? Do you know?”
After Homan repeatedly grilled him, Montoya-Galvez conceded he did not have that statistic on hand.
"Of course you don’t,” Homan snapped. “Again, it’s another loaded question against the Trump administration.”
Despite his crowing, Homan also did not provide the number of deaths that occurred in immigration detention under Biden's administration. In the four years Biden was president, deaths in ICE detention numbered five, three, four and eleven — all well short of 57.
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Homan Claims ICE Has 'Highest Detention Standards'
Homan argued ICE had the 'highest detention standards in industry.'
Homan then went on to brag that ICE has the "highest detention standards in industry, higher than any state or federal institution."
He continued, "Our deaths in custody … are among the lowest of any state prison or Bureau of Prisons. Numbers are up because our population has doubled in custody. We got over 70 — I think the other day we had like 74,000 in custody.”
"No one ever talks about how many lives that ICE saves in detention when they found a serious medical issue that the alien didn’t even know about and we treat," he complained. "When I was ICE director, I think we spent almost a billion dollars on medical care.”
Rate of ICE Detainee Deaths Doubled Under Trump
Human rights advocacy groups argue the increased number of detainees has led to a higher death rate.
“Again, it’s unfortunate, and it’s sad when anybody dies. I don’t want to see anybody die, but we do everything we can to give them the best medical care that we can provide." Homan explained. “I think if you look at deaths in custody compared to state prisons or federal penitentiaries, I think we’re one of the lowest. At least the last time I looked at the data — it was probably a couple years ago — we’re the lowest.”
Per the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the average rate of deaths in federal prison is 259 per 100,000, as measured between 2001 and 2019. By comparison, the rate of deaths in immigration detention is roughly 89 per 100,000, per a Reuters analysis.
However, that rate has doubled under the Trump administration. Human rights advocacy groups say the increased number of detainees does not solely explain the spike in deaths. Physicians for Human Rights argue that poor conditions, inadequate staffing and gaps in health care are all contributing to the spiking rate of deaths.
