Homan Explains How Officials Identified TDA Gang Members Who Got Deported

Border Czar Tom Homan said over the weekend that federal investigators relied on a variety of techniques to identify the illegal aliens who were arrested and deported in recent days for being members of Tren de Aragua — a Venezuelan Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Homan made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with Jonathan Karl when asked about the deportation flights removing the terrorists from the country.

“As far as the Venezuelans on that flight, every single one, according to the information given to me from the field, are members of the TDA,” Homan said, referring to the group by its acronym. “And TDA has been determined to be a terrorist organization. They are now classified as terrorists. So that plane removed 240 terrorists from the United States.”

When asked how law enforcement identified those individuals as part of the terrorist organization, Homan said that there were numerous techniques and methods involved.

“A lot of gang members don’t have criminal histories. Just like a lot of terrorists in this world, they’re not in any terrorist database, right?” he said. “We only know information, what’s in databases based on – for instance, most terrorists we arrest that are identified by the U.S. government are later identified through a Title III investigation or through an undercover operation. They’re not in any terror screening database.”

“A lot of gang members — I started as cop in 1984 — many gang members don’t have a criminal history,” he continued. “So, we have to count on social media. We have to count on surveillance techniques. We had to count on sworn statements from other gang members. We had to count on, you know, wiretaps and Title III, to everything involved with criminal investigations.”

He emphasized that just because someone has not been arrested or charged with a crime before doesn’t mean that they are not part of a gang or terrorist group.

“A lot of officers, a lot of criminal investigators, special agents who’ve done this for decades looked at the intelligence information, the criminal investigation information, all their various social media and surveillance and government records and public records, and they are confident that they’re all members of the TDA,” he said.

When pressed by @JonKarl about due process for deported migrants allegedly tied to gangs, Trump border czar Tom Homan says officials are “confident they’re all members of the TDA.”

"We're actually using the laws on the books to enforce immigration laws.” https://t.co/oO9fEVxwH1 pic.twitter.com/0ESncDBUhC

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 23, 2025