House Democrats put border czar Tom Homan ‘at the very top’ of oversight target list

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Nov. 10 that White House border czar Tom Homan is “at the very top” of the incoming Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee’s list of officials to scrutinize.

Speaking to the Washington Examiner, Aguilar said lawmakers plan to “dig in and ask questions about these reckless homeland security policies that this President has moved forward.”

“He’s chiefly responsible for kids getting separated and U.S. citizens being detained and killed,” Aguilar alleged. “And I think Tom Homan and the rest of the group needs to be held accountable for it.”

The comments come as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress in January following their Nov. 3 midterm victories. 

“When we are the majority, we are serious about holding people accountable, and that will begin and start early with oversight,” Aguilar said at a Nov. 10 Democratic caucus press conference. “But we are not shy to use accountability. But that is not anything that is being discussed at this point.”

Democratic candidates had campaigned heavily on affordability ahead of the elections but outlined plans to launch investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration shortly after winning at the polls, as Zeale News previously reported. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, has already publicly warned Trump officials to “lawyer up.”

The White House pushed back against the prospect of lawmakers calling Homan and newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to testify. 

“If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Axios.

Asked whether Democrats were considering anyone for impeachment, Aguilar told the Washington Examiner that the House Homeland Security and Oversight committees would have “ample opportunity to have those conversations” and determine their agendas.

Aguilar had earlier expressed support for impeaching War Secretary Pete Hegseth after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced eight articles of impeachment on the House floor.

On Nov. 10, the House voted 211 to 204, largely along party lines, to refer Massie’s resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, blocking an immediate floor vote on impeachment and effectively blocking the effort. Democrats have said they plan to revisit Hegseth’s impeachment when they take power in January, as Zeale News previously reported.

Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda, D-N.C., also named Homan as a priority, writing on X Nov. 8, “First Hegseth… Then Homan. Belt to a**. HOLD THEM ALL ACCOUNTABLE.”

Other Democrats have named officials including former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, current DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and Miller as targets for investigations into immigration enforcement.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, told colleagues in a letter that he would prioritize investigating deaths in DHS custody and during arrests, Axios reported Nov. 11. 

“I called for Kristi Noem’s impeachment in January, and she was gone by March. But the questions she refused to answer are still open,” Thompson wrote, according to the outlet.

Trump announced in March that he would replace Noem with Mullin. As Zeale News previously reported, the announcement followed criticism of Noem’s leadership and federal immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, particularly after the deaths of two U.S. citizens.

Thompson also said in the letter that Homan and Miller “would not appear [for a hearing] when we invited them this spring.” 

“In the majority, they will not have that choice,” he added.

According to Axios, Democrats plan to scrutinize spending on expanded immigration detention, aircraft purchases under Noem, excessive use-of-force complaints involving immigration agents, and a whistleblower complaint concerning reduced training for new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

>> After campaigning on affordability, Democrats outline plans to investigate Trump admin <<