President-elect Donald Trump has officially announced his selection for “Border Czar,” the role responsible for overseeing mass deportations, the construction of the border wall, and other immigration-related matters at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In comparison, Vice President Kamala Harris was appointed “Border Czar” by President Biden, a title she has sought to downplay while overseeing record levels of illegal immigration during the fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
“I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, 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,” Trump wrote in Truth Social post. “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 for, job.”
Homan, a strong advocate for President-elect Trump’s campaign promise to deport millions of illegal immigrants, recently discussed how the plan would unfold in an interview with 60 Minutes. When CBS reporter Cecilia Vega asked if deporting illegal immigrants could be done without separating families, Homan affirmed that it is possible. “Families can be deported together,” he explained.
Homan also dismissed the idea that deporting illegal immigrants would be detrimental to them, though he did acknowledge that “it should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community.” He emphasized that mass deportations are necessary due to the unprecedented, society-altering influx of illegal immigrants admitted under the Biden-Harris administration. Since President Biden took office and reversed nearly all of Trump’s first-term border enforcement policies including “Remain in Mexico,” more than 10 million migrants have illegally entered the United States, surging past records in the fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
On his first day in office, Trump plans to reinstate several immigration executive orders that President Biden reversed on his first day in January 2021. Among the key measures is the reimplementation of the popular “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required asylum seekers to wait outside the U.S. while their asylum claims were processed. In contrast, the Biden administration has adopted a catch-and-release policy, where illegal immigrants are often released and, in many cases, transported to locations of their choosing within the U.S. interior.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.