Former acting ICE director Tom Homan said the prospect of mass deportations is not threatening to the nation's immigrant community, but "should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community." (CBS)
President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that he plans to appoint Thomas Homan as the next "border czar."
Trump made the announcement on his social media platform Truth Social.
"I’ve known Tom for a long time and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited, job."
HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY 'BORDER CZAR' LABEL, PAST RADICAL IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN
Tom Homan, a FOX News contributor and former Trump Administration head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), delivers the keynote speech at the Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner in Salem, Ohio, on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Trump added that the "border czar" position isn’t just for monitoring the U.S. southern border with Mexico, but also "the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security. I’ve known Tom for a long time and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders."
This comes less than a week after Trump secured his second presidency, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, who was dubbed the "border czar" in the Biden administration.
Border security was a strong point of Trump’s first presidency, and it was a stalwart during both his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.
'STATUS QUO' AT SOUTHERN BORDER 'ENDS' WHEN TRUMP'S IN OFFICE, SAYS NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Former acting ICE director Tom Homan joined "America Reports" on Thursday to discuss the border as well as AOC's criticism of President Biden. (Fox News)
Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in fiscal year 2024, according to Homeland Security’s website. There have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.
Trump vowed during his campaign that he would once again take a hard-line approach to securing the border.
"It’s going to be a well-targeted, well-planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it," Homan said during a Fox News interview on Sunday, adding that deportations would be a "humane operation."
Tom Homan is the pick for Trump's "border czar" when he takes over the presidency. (Getty Images)
Trump during his campaign referenced illegal immigrants as people fleeing countries that didn’t want them. He often said at his rallies that illegal immigrants flooded the U.S. with drugs and gangs, and that they became a hub for smuggling and human trafficking, saying they are "poisoning the blood of our country."
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"They’re rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums," Trump said. "You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff."
This is only the beginning of thousands of positions that need to be filled by his presidency. Trump has already announced that Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager, will be the White House chief of staff.
