Washington DC, Feb. 16 -- United States White House border czar Tom Homan defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers wearing masks, stating that the officials need to protect themselves against threats and violence, CBS News reported.

Homan told CBS News that threats and violence against the ICE officials have increased exponentially.

"I don't like the masks either. These men and women have to protect themselves," Homan said on Sunday (local time). He said assaults against federal immigration officers have increased by 1,500 per cent, while threats against them have risen by 8,000 per cent.

According to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), last month, stated that assaults against ICE officers had increa...