Hour 3 - Border Czar, Tom Homan

Hour 3 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show delivers an in‑depth, news‑heavy hour focused on the DHS funding standoff, airport security, border enforcement, the Iran conflict, and major domestic policy debates, anchored by extended interviews with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Tom Homan, President Trump’s border enforcement leader. The hour begins with Senator Cassidy addressing the TSA and DHS funding crisis, which continues to cause massive airport delays nationwide—especially at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong Airport, where travelers have faced lines stretching into parking garages and missed flights. Cassidy argues Democrats are intentionally prolonging the crisis because they view public disruption as a political advantage rather than a problem to solve. He explains that while ICE and potentially the National Guard can assist with non‑technical airport security tasks like exit monitoring and ID enforcement, shortages remain at x‑ray stations due to training requirements. Cassidy urges travelers to avoid early‑morning peak times and criticizes Democrats for repeatedly backing away from negotiated agreements.

Cassidy lays out what Democrats are demanding in DHS negotiations, including efforts to cut ICE funding for deportations, restrict agents from wearing masks, and impose enforcement constraints he says endanger officers and their families by enabling doxxing and harassment. He notes the administration is willing to expand body‑camera use and accountability measures but will not accept conditions that put law‑enforcement families at risk. The senator calls the standoff “hostage‑taking” of American travelers.

The conversation then turns to Cassidy’s legislative push to ban stock trading by members of Congress and their immediate families, a proposal he says is essential to restoring public confidence. He argues Congress should be a place to serve the public—not enrich oneself—and says high‑profile examples of congressional trading have undermined institutional credibility. Cassidy also confirms Louisiana’s U.S. Senate primary is approaching quickly in mid‑May.

Cassidy discusses his work on college athletics reform, focusing on the chaos created by NIL rules and the transfer portal. While he supports revenue sharing for athletes, he warns the current system is harming student‑athletes by destroying stability, incentivizing constant transfers, and causing massive credit loss that leaves many without degrees if they do not reach the professional level. He cites stories shared by Nick Saban and others to illustrate how college sports have abandoned the “student‑athlete” model.

On foreign policy, Cassidy weighs in on the Trump administration’s Iran strategy, arguing military action was justified by evidence that Iran was developing long‑range ballistic missiles and moving toward nuclear weapons. He stresses the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for global economic stability and predicts U.S. allies would not allow Iran to gain control of the passage. Cassidy frames the conflict as one that will ultimately be judged on whether it permanently prevents Iran from possessing both nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
After Cassidy’s exit, Clay and Buck analyze President Trump’s announcement of a state visit to China in mid‑May, interpreting the timing as a signal that the Iran operation is expected to conclude well before then. They discuss reports that Israeli operations may accelerate in the short term and speculate that any final agreement will require coordinated pauses in U.S. and
Israeli military activity. The hosts express confidence that the administration believes negotiations are progressing toward a favorable outcome.

The show then pivots to the Supreme Court case involving border “metering” policies, which determine whether asylum seekers must be physically present on U.S. soil to apply for asylum. Clay and Buck suggest the Court is likely to clarify that being stopped before entry does not trigger asylum eligibility, reinforcing executive authority at ports of entry.

The centerpiece of Hour 3 is a long interview with Tom Homan, who explains the expanded ICE presence at airports. Homan says ICE agents were deployed at President Trump’s direction to support TSA during staffing shortages, enhance airport security, and assist with crowd flow—but he is explicit that ICE will also enforce immigration law if agents encounter criminal or illegal activity. He confirms agents can access DHS databases on the spot and will make arrests where probable cause exists.

Homan forcefully responds to Democratic district attorneys who have threatened ICE agents with arrest, stating that federal law supersedes local policies and that ICE agents are operating under long‑standing authorities passed by Congress. He criticizes sanctuary jurisdictions for making arrests more dangerous and resource‑intensive by denying ICE access to jails, forcing officers to conduct street arrests instead.

Addressing deportations, Homan reports that the administration surpassed 700,000 removals last year, exceeding numbers from any previous modern administration, and says the hiring of 10,000 additional ICE officers will further expand enforcement capacity. He also reveals that more than two million illegal immigrants have voluntarily left the country, attributing the trend to visible nationwide enforcement and the end of the Biden‑era “release and disappear” policy. Homan says ICE plans to maintain a larger permanent airport presence due to documented cases of human trafficking, currency smuggling, and illegal transit through aviation hubs.

The hour closes with listener questions, including recommended books for understanding Iranian history, the Ayatollah regime, and the roots of the current conflict, as well as final reflections on how Trump’s Iran strategy may bring a decades‑long confrontation closer to resolution.

In sum, Hour 3 delivers authoritative insight into airport chaos, border enforcement, DHS funding politics, congressional ethics reform, college sports policy, Supreme Court border cases, and the strategic endgame in Iran—providing listeners with a comprehensive snapshot of how domestic governance and global security issues are colliding in real time.

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