US President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday that Tom Homan, a hardline immigration official, will oversee the nation’s borders in the upcoming administration. Trump plans to initiate the largest deportation operation of undocumented immigrants on his first day in office.
“I am pleased to announce that former ICE Director and staunch advocate for border control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration to head up our Nation’s Borders as ‘The Border Czar,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there’s nobody better at policing and controlling our borders.”
Trump stated that Homan would handle “all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.”
Homan, who served in Trump’s first term, recently told Republicans, “I have a message for the millions of illegal immigrants Joe Biden has released into our country: You better start packing now.”
After a successful comeback in the November 5 election, Trump is set to be inaugurated in January. He has thus far made one cabinet appointment, naming Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, as White House Chief of Staff. Trump informed the New York Post that he had offered Congresswoman Elise Stefanik the role of US Ambassador to the UN, which she accepted, saying she was “truly honoured.”
During his campaign, Trump claimed an “invasion” of migrants would harm Americans and used charged rhetoric about those who “poison the blood” of the US. While violent crime surged under Trump, it has been declining during Joe Biden’s presidency. Data shows migrants commit fewer crimes than US-born citizens, despite some high-profile cases involving foreign suspects that have angered Republicans.
Encounters at the southern border have returned to 2020 levels, peaking at 250,000 in December 2023. Trump intends to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport foreigners as part of “Operation Aurora,” referencing viral but false claims about migrant violence. He also spread baseless stories about Haitian migrants harming pets in Ohio.
