U.S. News
Border Czar Reacts to High-Profile Purse Theft

"Thomas Homan" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 .
Clear Facts
- Tom Homan, a border czar, commented that the suspect in the theft of Kristi Noem’s purse “picked the wrong person” to target.
- The suspect, Mario Bustamante-Leiva, is reportedly in the U.S. illegally and has a criminal history that includes a theft spree in London.
- Authorities arrested a second suspect in connection with the theft, who is also allegedly in the country illegally.
Tom Homan, a prominent figure in border security, has weighed in on the recent theft of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse, asserting that the suspect chose the wrong target. The incident occurred while Noem was dining with her family in Washington, D.C., on Easter Sunday.
Homan suggested that the individual responsible for the theft might be in the United States illegally. He stated, “I don’t have their criminal history but I know the one who stole the purse is supposedly in the country illegally.”
It has been confirmed that the suspect, identified as Mario Bustamante-Leiva, is a 49-year-old Chilean national who is in the U.S. illegally. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, corroborated this information and noted that a second suspect, also residing in the country illegally, was arrested in connection with the theft.
The suspect reportedly wore a medical mask during the incident and made off with approximately $3,000 in cash, along with Secretary Noem’s driver’s license, DHS access badge, and other personal items. Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Washington Field Office, announced the arrest of the suspect.
Secretary Noem herself described the individual as “a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.” The suspect’s criminal activities are not confined to the U.S., as he was previously sentenced for a theft spree in London.
In a surprising twist, the suspect allegedly managed to bypass two plainclothes Secret Service officers both before and after committing the crime. Noem later remarked on the “very professionally done” nature of the theft during an appearance on a podcast.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Disgusted Patriot
April 29, 2025 at 8:55 am
Why are we calling all these department heads “czars”? This BS started with Obama. Anyone familiar with world history knows this term was used in Russia years ago. Nevermind, I guess I answered my own question.
Marianne Hickman
April 29, 2025 at 4:50 pm
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