Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

‘Grow A Backbone’: Tom Homan Nukes Heckler Who Calls Him Traitor

[Screenshot/Fox News]

Border czar Tom Homan fired off at a heckler who accused him of being a “racist” and a “traitor” during a Turning Point USA event in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.

Protesters shouted at Homan as he spoke about his concerns for the safety of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and illegal immigrants. Other hecklers shouted at Homan over his crackdown on illegal immigration.

“Call me what you want, I don’t care,” Homan told the protester.

“Traitor,” the heckler shouted.

“You know, I want to take questions, I’ll take questions a little bit, but once you grow a backbone, put a Kevlar vest and a gun on your hip and go secure this border,” Homan said.

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Another attendee accused Homan of inspiring Patrick Crusius to kill nearly two dozen people inside a Walmart in 2019, according to the New York Post. Crusius is serving a life sentence for the Aug. 3, 2019, shooting that killed 23 people and injured 22 others.

“Patrick Crusius, your everyday conservative, drove hundreds of miles to our city based on your belief that Hispanics are replacing the white race of white people and we need a scare to deter Hispanics from coming into the country,” the person said.

“What I said was, the open border was an action, was a mess, and it was by design,” Homan responded.

Under Homan’s leadership, ICE has made a record-breaking number of arrests and has ramped up operations across the U.S. The border czar has had to live separately from his wife because of the death threats his family has received.

Assaults against ICE agents surged 1,150% since President Donald Trump reentered office, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).