Pete Davidson Joins 'SNL' Cold Open to 'Tighten Up' ICE Agents in Minneapolis

The 1,000th regular episode of Saturday Night Live saw the comedian return to lecture Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid ongoing tensions in the city.

Jan. 31, 2026 at 11:31pm

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In the cold open of the 1,000th regular episode of Saturday Night Live, former cast member Pete Davidson portrayed White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who was sent to Minneapolis to meet with ICE unit commanders and clarify the agency's mission objectives amid the chaotic situation in the city.

Why it matters

Davidson's appearance as Homan highlights the ongoing tensions and controversies surrounding the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly in the wake of high-profile incidents that have drawn criticism and scrutiny of the agency's tactics and leadership.

The details

In the sketch, Davidson's character stressed the need to 'tighten up' the agency's operations, noting that the previous Border Czar, Greg Bovino, was dismissed not for doing a bad job but for being filmed 'publicly lying about the shooting of an American citizen' and 'dressing like a Nazi.' Davidson's Homan character was brought in to refocus the ICE agents on the 'mission objective' in Minneapolis.

  • The cold open sketch aired during the 1,000th regular episode of Saturday Night Live.

The players

Pete Davidson

A former cast member of Saturday Night Live who returned to the show to portray White House Border Czar Tom Homan.

Tom Homan

The White House Border Czar who was sent to Minneapolis to meet with ICE unit commanders and clarify the agency's mission objectives.

Greg Bovino

The previous White House Border Czar who was dismissed, allegedly for being filmed publicly lying about the shooting of an American citizen and dressing like a Nazi.

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What they’re saying

“My name is Tom Homan. Now I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why Greg Bovino, the last guy, was dismissed. I wanna stress that it wasn't because he did a bad job or publicly lied about the shooting of an American citizen or even, oh, dressed like a Nazi. It was that he was filmed doing these things.”

— Pete Davidson, as White House Border Czar Tom Homan (Saturday Night Live)

The takeaway

Davidson's return to SNL as the new White House Border Czar underscores the ongoing controversies and criticisms surrounding the actions and leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly in the wake of high-profile incidents that have drawn public scrutiny.