Long before border czar Tom Homan arrived in Minneapolis, he had cautioned that immigration enforcement would need to be carefully targeted to maintain public trust.

While any undocumented immigrant in the United States can be subject to arrest and deportation, Homan — who has served in senior Homeland Security roles under the Obama administration and both Trump administrations — has consistently argued that priority should be given to immigrants who have committed additional crimes. Failing to do so, he warned, could erode public support.

In a June interview for the forthcoming book Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Program, Homan said focusing on so-called “criminal illegal aliens” was essential to sustaining backing for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

“I think the vast majority of the American people think criminal illegal aliens need to leave,” Homan said on June 16. “And if we stick to that prioritization, I think we keep the faith of the American people.” He added that enforcement must also be carried out “in a humane manner.”

At the time, Border Patrol operations in Los Angeles were being overseen by Greg Bovino, who had been elevated from his role as sector chief in El Centro, California. Unlike Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that typically focus on specific targets, Border Patrol agents began carrying out broad sweeps based on where immigrants lived and worked, according to court filings tied to a lawsuit.

Those tactics, which began in the Los Angeles Fashion District on June 6, ignited weeks of protests and prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and Marines. In one controversial episode, known as Operation Trojan Horse, agents emerged from a rental truck in a Home Depot parking lot to arrest day laborers waiting for work.

Since then, enforcement strategies by the Department of Homeland Security have drawn mounting scrutiny as deportation operations expanded to cities including Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans. Public backlash intensified last month after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration authorities in Minneapolis, further fueling criticism of the administration’s approach.