Saturday Night Live took aim at the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts during its latest cold open, turning a serious national issue into a moment of late-night political satire.
Instead of opening with a parody of President Donald Trump, the long-running NBC show brought back former cast member Pete Davidson to portray Border Czar Tom Homan amid heightened attention on ICE operations in Minneapolis.
The skit focused on leadership changes within federal immigration enforcement, joking about the removal of a Border Patrol commander shortly before Homan’s arrival in the city. Davidson’s portrayal framed the shake-up as a matter of public image rather than policy or performance.
In the sketch, Homan addresses a group of ICE agents and sarcastically explains why the previous official was pulled from the operation, suggesting the real issue wasn’t behavior — but visibility.
The scene then pivots to exaggerated confusion among agents about why they were even deployed to Minneapolis, a moment clearly designed to mock critics’ claims that immigration enforcement lacks clarity or direction.
After several incorrect guesses, Davidson’s character bluntly reminds the group that ICE’s role is to detain and remove illegal immigrants who have committed crimes — prompting another punchline about how disconnected the operation appears.
The parody escalates as Davidson’s Homan jokingly reacts to being portrayed as the “reasonable adult” in the room, despite his reputation as a hardline immigration enforcer.
The cold open arrives as immigration enforcement — particularly in major cities — continues to spark debate nationwide, with supporters arguing for the rule of law and critics accusing the administration of excessive force.
As usual, Saturday Night Live leaned heavily into satire, blurring the line between comedy and commentary — a formula that continues to divide viewers along political lines.
Whether audiences saw the skit as clever humor or another example of Hollywood bias, the segment underscored how immigration remains one of the most politically charged issues in America today.