Tom Homan, who is President Donald Trump’s border czar, was reportedly recorded by the FBI accepting $50,000 in cash in 2024, while promising to secure government contracts for undercover agents. According to MSNBC, the FBI and Justice Department initially delayed moving forward with the investigation until Homan officially assumed the border czar role, which would have allowed him to fulfill the promised contracts.
The probe began in the summer of 2024 after a separate federal investigation revealed that Homan was allegedly soliciting money in exchange for potential government contracts contingent on Trump’s reelection.
Inquiry Against Tom Homan
This led to a joint inquiry involving the FBI, the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Texas.
Documents obtained by MSNBC state the investigation focused into the Border Czar and former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan and others based on evidence of payment from FBI undercover agents in exchange for facilitating future contracts related to border enforcement.
Case Stalled After Donald Trump Took Office
After Trump became president in January 2025, the investigation reportedly stalled. FBI Director Kash Patel requested an update on the Homan case, but unnamed Trump appointees subsequently closed the inquiry. While no official reason was provided, MSNBC cited a Trump DOJ official describing the investigation as a deep state effort.
The MSNBC report was swiftly disavowed by both the FBI and the White House. In a joint statement to the Daily Beast, FBI Director Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors. They found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing and emphasized that the Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. As a result, the investigation has been closed.
Tom Homan’s Private Sector Ties
Homan began his career as a police officer in West Carthage, New York, but his connections to the private sector have drawn scrutiny. In May 2025, The Washington Post reported that Homan collected over $5,000 in consulting fees from the GEO Group, the private company that operates a large portion of the nation’s immigrant detention centers, in the two years prior to his border czar appointment. The total amount Homan received may be higher, as ethics rules do not require a more detailed disclosure.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin commented that the GEO Group is a major private prison contractor whose largest source of revenue is contracts with ICE, and this raises serious questions and corruption concerns that cannot be ignored.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
