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Meet Tom Homan: Trump’s New ‘Border Czar’

Topline

President-elect Donald Trump has named former ICE director Tom Homan as “border czar” as the new president plans to launch what he says is the largest deportation operation in the country’s history, a continuation of the tough border policies that Homan implemented under the first Trump government monitored.

Important facts

Homan led Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the first 18 months of the Trump administration and has since been an outspoken supporter of Trump’s policies and repeatedly defended deportation efforts.

Homan has spoken repeatedly in recent months about Trump’s plan to deport large numbers of illegal immigrants during a second term, including resuming workplace arrests as a strategy to carry out a “humane” but “necessary mass deportation.”

He said the plan would operate on a “worst first” basis, meaning criminals and threats to national security would be targeted for deportation ahead of other immigrants.

Earlier this year at the National Conservatism Conference, Homan predicted that Trump’s return to office would also mean his return as an immigration agent: “They haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until 2025.

Homan is best known for his role in a “zero tolerance” immigration policy under Trump that sought to immediately prosecute anyone who crossed the border illegally and ensured parents were detained while their children were separated and were placed in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Thousands of children were separated from their parents under the controversial policy until Trump signed an executive order ending family separation. However, Homan continued to defend the practice, saying in 2018 that it was nothing more than separating an American child from a parent who had committed a family separation crime within the country’s borders (Homan told “60 Minutes” it was “not true”) claim he was one of the architects of the plan, but he signed it).

In 2023, Homan told guests at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he was “sick and tired” of hearing about family separations: “You know, I’m still getting sued over this, so come get me.” It is I don’t give a shit, right? The bottom line is we enforced the law.”

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News Peg

Trump announced Sunday that Homan would be “in charge” of the country’s borders under the next administration. On his platform Truth Social, he called Homan “an advocate of border control” and said there is “no one better at monitoring and controlling the borders.” Homan does not need to be confirmed by the Senate to take his new job. Trump has not yet said who will serve as his homeland security secretary.

Important background

Homan, who has been a Fox News contributor since stepping down as ICE director during Trump’s first term, has decades of experience in immigration enforcement. He served in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service as a Border Patrol agent and special agent before becoming deputy director of enforcement at ICE headquarters in Washington, DC. In 2013, Homan was promoted by President Barack Obama to deputy assistant director for enforcement and deportation operations. who later awarded him a Presidential Rank Award for exceptional achievements. Homan was appointed acting ICE director by Trump in 2017 and retired from that position in June 2018. During his time in that position, Homan said that undocumented immigrants should “be afraid” under the Trump administration and that “all people are on the table.” “for deportation.

Crucial quote

“Thomas Homan deports people. And he’s really good at it,” the Washington Post wrote in 2016.

What you should pay attention to

Last week, Homan told Fox Business that the Trump administration would resume efforts to sue sanctuary cities and strip them of federal funding. He is a vocal opponent of sanctuary cities and states that order local law enforcement not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. In 2018, Homan said that politicians in these counties should be “held personally accountable” for crimes committed by people living in the U.S. illegally.

Cons

Homan has defended the strict border policies he has enforced, pushing back against claims that they are cruel and costly. Last week, he said Trump’s deportation plan would cost less than the “billions of dollars we are now spending on housing, medical care, food and care for millions of illegal immigrants (Biden’s administration) released into the United States this year.” In 2017, he said he believed so strongly in the country’s immigration policy because he had seen the dangers faced by those who wanted to immigrate illegally if they were not deterred. They held people hostage, raped women, abused children, killed people, who could not pay their smuggling fees, and doubled their smuggling fees after they came to the United States.”

Surprising fact

Private prison stocks Geo Group and CoeCivic rose Monday after Homan’s appointment was announced. Geo Group was up 6.7% and CoreCivic was up 7.5% as of 10 a.m.

Further reading

ForbesTrump says former ICE chief Tom Homan will serve as his ‘border czar’ – here’s what he said about mass deportationsForbesWhat we know about Trump’s potential Cabinet – with RFK Jr. and Elon Musk among the candidatesForbesImpairing Trump’s Brain Trust: The New TrumpiverseForbesMusk reportedly took part in Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president: here’s everything they said about the collaboration

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