Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy and Carmichael were joined on the line by the former acting director of ICE, Tom Homan.
Near the end of the third hour, Homan discussed how the Mexican cartels are a threat to America’s security and that US intelligence should get involved and take the lead to disband them.
He said:
He’s the first president to get Mexico to do what they’re doing on the immigration front by sending their military to the border. But I said from day one that this is going to continue in Mexico. And until you charge these criminal cartels, you’re never going to get rid of the problem.
Leahy: We are joined now on the line by Tom Homan former acting director of the US immigration and customs enforcement department. Welcome, Mr. Homan.
Homan: Hey how you doing? Thanks for having me.
Leahy: Hey, you and I have something in common. You were born in West Carthage in upstate New York. I was born maybe 70 miles away in Oswego, New York. So we are fellow upstate New Yorkers.
Homan: I’m sorry you cut out. Where were you born?
Leahy: Oswego. Oswego, New York.
Homan: I know exactly where Oswego is. That’s the greatest part of the country there.
Leahy: Absolutely. So we’re talking about today this brutal murder of an American family in Northern Mexico. And I was wondering, we were listening to Senator Mike Lee, and Mike Lee from Utah said he wondered if they were accidentally in the place and caught in the crossfire or if they were targeted. Do you have any information that you can share with us about that Mr. Homan?
Homan: No, I don’t. I don’t have any specific. I can tell you this. I spent three decades on the border and I’m telling you there is more to this story than what we know. I’m not saying that a criminal cartel didn’t target an innocent American family.
But it’s not within their ammo usually because they know that an action like that (Inaudible talk) And they’ve learned there listen after Kiki Camarena and killed one our agents a decade ago. The US government practically dismantled its entire organization and cost them millions of dollars.
So for the cartel to do something like that would be unusual. Not saying it didn’t happen. I’m just saying I think there’s more to this story than we know. I think more is going to come out.
Leahy: In February of 2018 you said that politicians who support sanctuary city policies should be charged with crimes. Is this kind of out of control drug cartel murdering of American citizens and all the other crimes that are going on. Is that evidence to support your strong position there?
Homan: I think it’s evidence as part of the need for a strong border. The last three times I testified since I retired, f course, it turned into a circus because of my opening statement was, I’m coming there and this will be political theatre.
You won’t ask me one substantive question about how to fix the border. You’ll make your political statements. You’ll push your political narrative against our president, against ICE, against border patrol and you won’t solve any problems.
The hearings used to be you had your experts come in, you’d hear what the problem is and then they’d legislate to try and fix it. That’s not what it’s about anymore over in the House. Since the House became in Democratic leadership is about pushing a false narrative to the American people. They don’t want to fix this border and they could easily. They don’t want to.
Leahy: Yeah, I think you’re absolutely right about that. Crom Carmicheal is our guest in the studio.
Carmichael: Tom, there are 68,000 people, and that was last reported last night that die of illegal drug overdoses a year. Why aren’t the Democrats, and I do agree with you that they don’t want to fix the problem? But why?
Homan: Because it’s a political war right now. They want this president to fail on his number one campaign promise. And it’s shocking to say that and I can’t believe I say that. But after seeing what I’ve seen for the last couple of years that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Because there are three loopholes that we constantly talk about what they could easily close that would contain that border. They don’t want to do it. They don’t want to give this president a win. They don’t want him to be the first president to actually secure the border.
Everybody that runs for president says, ‘I’m going to secure the border.’ They all talk the talk but nobody walks the walk. Here’s a president that walks the walk. The numbers on the border are down 50% because everything that he’s done, Congress hasn’t done a damn thing.
And they don’t want him to win on this issue. This is about seeing this president fail. And it’s a sad day when politicians care more about their political power than they do about the safety and security of this nation.
Carmichael: Tom, I think you’ve just helped me understand the answer to my own question and here it is. The deep state is so pervasive in Washington and they see Trump as the single biggest enemy of the deep state and the expansion of the federal government that the deep state is willing to see 68,000 Americans die every year rather than give Trump a political victory that might help him win re-election.
Homan: You got it. You got it. And that’s why the last hearing I went nuts. I started yelling and screaming, ‘You guys don’t want to fix this!’ Children are dying. 31% of every woman that makes this journey gets raped.
We had over 60,000 overdose deaths in this country and you’re sitting there on your hands to try and fight a political war with my president. You’re not doing your job. You’re not living up to your sworn oath. You say you care about these people but you fail to take action to take care of the most vulnerable people in the world. It’s a shame.
Leahy: If president trump were to call you this morning and say, ‘Tom, these Americans were murdered in Mexico the other day and it looks like Mexico is becoming a failed state because it’s being run by the thugs of the drug cartel.’ What would be the number one piece of advice you would give him?
Homan: He needs to get the President of Mexico to agree to let the bureau and HSI go down and take over this investigation. They need to lead the attack on the criminal cartels. All enforcement officers, not every law enforcement officer in Mexico are corrupt but many are. The military is corrupt. That’s why they can’t beat these cartels.
If you have the US law enforcement and intelligence agency take the lead and do what they did with El Chapo and prosecute them here in the United States where they’re not going to pay off a judge. They’re won’t be able to escape.
Where we won’t be forced to turn over a drug cartel kingpin because of violence. Let the United States take the lead. Let us in there. Let us show them how to do it. Let’s dismantle this organization by tracking the money.
By tracking the transportation infrastructure. We know how to do it and we won’t be bribed. That’s what I’d tell the President. And if they don’t do it, then he needs to threaten tariffs and shutting down the border. Kiki Camerena a DEA agent was kidnapped, and tortured, and killed. We shut down the border down for that one man.
You’re talking about an entire family here. I think the president needs to get tough as president. The president of Mexico always says, ‘Well I don’t think we need that.’ I think the president of the united states should pressure him. Let us take the lead. We’re not going to do it outside your authority but you need to invite us in and let us do this.
Leahy: Do you think the president will take that strong action that you’ve just identified?
Homan: Yes. He’s tough. I’ve worked for six presidents and this president loves a fight. He really cares. He really came out strong on this. He cares about the safety of the border and cares about the safety of Americans. I think he will. I think he’s going to play hardball. Look he’s already done it.
He’s the first president to get Mexico to do what they’re doing on immigration front by sending their military to the border. But I said from day one last year that this is going to continue until Mexico and the cartels that are managing and operating all these transportation infrastructures are getting paid off. Until you charge these criminal cartels you’re never going to get rid of the problem. This president gets it. He understands that.
Leahy: Tom Homan former acting director of ICE. Thanks so much for joining us. Will you come back? Always happy to have a fellow upstate New Yorker on the program.
Homan: (Laughs) You got it, man, anytime.
Leahy: Tom Homan, thanks for joining us. Crom, wasn’t that a great interview?
Carmicheal: That was great. Just terrific.
Listen to the third hour:
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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.Â
