Tom Homan pushed back on claims ICE targeted parents at a school bus stop in Danbury, Connecticut, as DHS called the allegation politically motivated.
Page A10From§Eachthe milkman edition — 31 August 2026
DHS denies torture, beatings, and medical neglect; border czar denies ICE is 'terrorizing' children — same week.
As it ran on the front
This reporter has obtained the statement and can confirm the Department of Homeland Security denies allegations of torture. It denies allegations of beatings. It denies allegations of medical neglect. Three denials, each precise, each itemized, each responding to a claim the Department insists was never substantiated in the first place, which raises the natural question of how one drafts three itemized denials against claims that don't exist, but this reporter is not here to raise natural questions, this reporter is here to report the denial.
Separately — and this reporter wants to stress separately, these are two unrelated news items that happen to concern the same agency in the same week — Border Czar Tom Homan denied that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is 'terrorizing' children, a specific word choice from Senator Chris Murphy that Homan felt compelled to rebut at length, on camera, by name, which is a lot of runway to give a claim that, per the Department, has no basis, and also no, that's not defensive, that's just thorough, the Department is simply a thorough — actually, on reflection, three unprompted, itemized denials in one week from the same building is not 'thorough.' This reporter would like to revise that.…
…(cont) Here is what is checkable: DHS denied torture, beatings, and medical neglect in ICE detention. Homan denied that ICE terrorizes children. Both denials exist because both accusations exist. The Department did not deny, say, insufficient snack variety, because nobody accused it of that. It denied the things it was accused of, in the specific language of the accusation, which is generally understood, in every other context this reporter covers, as confirmation that the accusation was taken seriously enough to require a press shop.
The children named in Senator Murphy's claim do not get a rebuttal booked on cable news. The detainees named in the torture allegations do not get a statement with their name on it. Only the denial gets top billing. In lieu of an independent audit, the Department offers its own word, twice, in one week, unprompted.
“When the denial is this specific, you already know what happened, because nobody drafts a press release naming beatings and medical neglect out of nowhere. This is the tell: you don't deny things that weren't already circulating as complaints in the file. The kids in those files don't get a press conference of their own.”
“The Department categorically denies torture, beatings, and medical neglect — those are three very specific things to categorically deny, and no, that specificity doesn't imply anyone asked about them individually, that's — okay, someone asked about them individually. But it's also fully accurate that Border Czar Homan says no one is terrorizing children, which, again, is a very targeted denial for something nobody brought up except the Senator who brought it up.”
The receipts
The UN torture rapporteur found direct-contact electric shock gloves "incompatible with the absolute prohibition of torture" - ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on them ABC10 San Diego / UN Special Rapporteur finding, August 2026
DHS denies reports of torture, beatings and medical neglect in ICE detentionThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday denied a report in The New York Times about harsh treatment of migrants in immigration detention facilities. “Another day and another hoax about ICE detention from the @nytimes,” DHS…
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.