Border Czar's Security Detail Costs Taxpayers $1 Million a Month: Report

Security for Trump's border czar Tom Homan is costing taxpayers approximately $1 million per month, according to a CBS News report citing multiple administration sources.

The figure includes an estimated $500,000 in monthly salaries for agents, as well as additional expenses for travel, lodging, and logistics.

CBS News reports that around 30 special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) rotate to provide Homan with full-time protection — a scale of coverage typically reserved for cabinet-level officials or high-threat targets. One official familiar with the matter described the arrangement as "extravagant," adding that they they "sucked resources away from other senior leadership, including other cabinet members."

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin defended the expense to CBS News, citing "dangerous rhetoric" surrounding immigration enforcement. "We will continue to take measures to ensure Mr. Homan and his family are safe," she said. The Department of Homeland Security, however, declined to confirm the cost.

Homan has become a high-profile figure in President Trump's immigration strategy, which includes the goal of carrying out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. He has repeatedly cited threats to his safety, noting during a February appearance on Fox News' Fox & Friends, "I got state troopers around my house 24-7 right now because of death threats." He added, "I know what it's like to be doxxed."

Security details of this scale are uncommon for administration officials, even those facing public backlash. For comparison, DHS-provided security for former Trump-era Education Secretary Betsy DeVos ranged from $5 million to nearly $8 million annually. Homan's protection, if continued at current levels, could cost $12 million this year.

The news comes as the Trump administration pushes for a massive increase in immigration enforcement spending. A tax and spending package which passed the House last Thursday would allocate over $150 billion over five years to Trump's border agenda, including $59 billion for detention and transportation. Homan praised the funding proposal online, saying it would "increase the great work of ICE on our deportation operations nationwide."