Tom Homan's Defiant Response to Judge Who Ordered Deportation Flight Halt: 'Not Gonna Stop Us'

Border czar Tom Homan delivered a strong message Thursday in response to the district judge who halted a deportation flight filled with individuals labeled as terrorists, ordering it to return to U.S. soil.

Homan participated in a “Socratic stage” event at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, where he joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.

The conversation covered a range of topics, including former President Donald Trump’s recent invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a measure aimed at addressing the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

During the event, Homan was asked about the controversy surrounding U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who issued an order on Saturday requiring a deportation flight carrying suspected terrorists to turn back to the United States.

According to the U.K.'s Guardian, more than 250 individuals classified as terrorists were aboard, including MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members. Reports from Fox News stated that those on board had criminal histories involving offenses such as kidnapping, child sexual abuse, aggravated assault, prostitution, robbery, and assaulting law enforcement officers.

Boasberg's order was intended to allow time to review the legality of Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act for mass deportations.

“What basically he wanted us to do was turn planes around in mid-air — full of terrorists — and bring them back into the United States, which is ridiculous. And, we didn’t do it. Now it’s under litigation,” Homan said.

“But I’ve been clear, I’ll let DOJ fight it out. I’m not a lawyer, I’m a cop, so we’ll let the lawyers fight it out. But bottom line is, we’re not gonna stop doing what we’re doing. We’re gonna arrest illegal aliens today, we’re going to arrest TdA today, we’re going to deport TdA today, we’re going to deport criminals every single day,” he stated.

“They’re not going to stop us,” Homan asserted. “The district court judge isn’t going to stop us from making this country safe again. We’re going to keep moving forward.”

On Wednesday, the Department of Justice filed a response, criticizing Boasberg for what they described as “digressive micromanagement” following his attempt to block the flights. Fox News reported that the judge demanded answers from the DOJ on five key points by noon that day:

1. The exact time the plane departed U.S. soil and from which location.
2. The time it exited U.S. airspace.
3. The time and location where it landed, including any stops made.
4. The exact time individuals affected solely by the Proclamation were removed from U.S. custody.
5. The number of individuals aboard who were deported solely due to the Proclamation.

“The Court has now spent more time trying to ferret out information about the Government’s flight schedules and relations with foreign countries than it did in investigating the facts before certifying the class action in this case,” the DOJ’s filing stated. The response was co-signed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and others.

“That observation reflects how upside-down this case has become, as digressive micromanagement has outweighed consideration of the case’s legal issues,” the filing further noted.