TRISH REGAN (HOST): New tonight, just days after President Trump struck a deal with Mexico, the Mexican military has begun cracking down on migrants hitching rides on board a train that is known as “The Beast” -- quite a name, huh -- to reach the U.S. border. You are looking at pictures of it there. It's people illegally jumping on that train. It's dangerous in of itself. Well now they're getting arrested. The Mexican government also says it's going to send 6,000 troops to its border with Guatemala in an effort to head off the surge of migrants coming to the U.S. You see, in many cases they're coming through that rather porous border with Guatemala and then making their way up to our porous border. Joining me right now, former Trump acting ICE director Tom Homan. Good to see you again, Tom.

TOM HOMAN (FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR): Good to see you.

REGAN: I think -- you know, you and I kind of had it out on this whole tariff thing. I was a little surprised by it just given that we had just done this trade deal with Mexico, et cetera. But I think in some ways it was very, very well played. Because it put the pressure, one, on the Dems, right? They got some constituents, especially big business owners in their states, calling them up and saying hey what the heck is going on? We can't deal with 25% potential tariffs. And it also put pressure on Mexico, right, and you've said all along, Tom, you want Mexico to do more on its end.

HOMAN: Absolutely. And thank you for noting I was right. Look, what's happening --

REGAN: No, no, no, no, no, I'm also saying I was right, because listen, this actually put some pressure on the Dems and exposes the holes.

[CROSSTALK]

HOMAN: Look, if it wasn't for this tariffs, if it wasn't for the tariff threat, they wouldn't be taking aliens off the train, they wouldn't be sending troops to the southern border, they wouldn't be expanding the Migrant Protection Protocol, they wouldn't be talking about a third country -- safe third country agreement. The tariffs worked, his bluff worked. So I think once again he showed people in Capitol Hill that he's smarter than them.

REGAN: Was it really bluff, though? Was it bluff?

HOMAN: Pardon me?

REGAN: You said his bluff worked. Was it really bluff, or do you think he was willing to do it?

HOMAN: No, I think it was a threat, I didn't use the word “bluff.” I think it was a threat, and I think he would have followed through. And I'll tell you something else, if they don't follow through on this agreement, he will impose tariffs.

REGAN: Let me ask you about some of the things that some politicians are offering up perhaps to counter this, which is not good. Because, you know, already you come here and listen, it's a much better economy, much better future, I get all that. But California apparently wants to offer up, Tom Homan, free medical care, you know, free health care for any migrant that wants to come into its sanctuary state. What does that do to this balance, this equation where you're trying to sort of expose the penalties for coming to America as an illegal person?

HOMAN: Look, Trish, they're throwing gas on a fire. You know, the Democrats, between the Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in California, they haven't come up with one idea of how to stop this surge. Gavin Newsom needs to understand when you do things like this you entice more people to put themselves in the hands of criminal organizations. Thirty-one percent of women are being sexually assaulted. Children are dying. And he offers yet another thing to entice them to come to the country. Just like the Democrat leadership -- they haven't done anything on the border crisis. What have they done? They voted themselves for a pay raise and they're trying to pass amnesty for 2.5 [million] DACA recipients. These families are coming across now because they're the next DACA population. So instead of helping the president secure the border -- which is their number one job, protect America -- they're throwing gas on the fire. It's almost like they're intentionally trying to keep this chaos going to embarrass this president in 2020.

REGAN: Yeah, well, isn't that what it all is, Tom? Sadly? It all is politics. You know as the former ICE director. I mean, you have agents out there just trying to do their jobs, risking their lives in many cases. How does it make you feel, knowing that when it's all said and done, it's about political posturing in Washington?

HOMAN: It really is. The Democratic leadership should be ashamed of themselves that the country of Mexico is doing more to address this crisis to save lives and to help the United States secure the border than the Democratic leadership, the people who are supposed to care about this country. The people who are supposed to protect Americans. I mean, they took an oath, and they're ignoring that oath because their hatred of this president and their will and their drive to see him fail has taken precedence over American citizens. Offering free medical care to illegal aliens. I know a lot of U.S. citizens that can't afford free medical care. They should be ashamed of themselves and the American people need to call them out on it.

Previously:

Fox contributor slams California law expanding Medicaid coverage to young undocumented immigrant adults

​Fox's Brian Kilmeade rants against California offering Medicaid coverage to young undocumented immigrants​  

Tucker Carlson: Undocumented immigrants make us poorer and are to blame for hospital wait times