Veteran immigration official Tom Homan will be tasked with overseeing the United States’ borders following President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, a key position for implementing the president’s immigration policy.
Homan, who has spent decades in law enforcement and border security, is expected to play a central role in Trump’s efforts to reduce illegal immigration, a central theme of the former president’s campaign.
Tackling Border Security
Homan, a former police officer and acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has described illegal immigration as “the biggest national security vulnerability this nation has seen since 9/11” and emphasized the need for action. During the Republican National Convention in the summer, Homan warned illegal immigrants in the U.S. to “start packing now.”
While it remains unclear exactly how Homan’s role as “border czar” will unfold, managing immigration requires coordination among multiple government agencies. However, Homan has already outlined some strategies for addressing border issues.
Reversing Biden’s Immigration Policies
In an October interview with CBS News’s 60 Minutes, Homan suggested that his approach would prioritize deporting non-criminal immigrants in the U.S. illegally, after addressing individuals posing “public safety” or “national security threats.” This would reverse policies from the Biden administration, which currently focuses ICE efforts on deporting serious criminals, national security risks, and recent border crossers. Biden’s policy aims to protect long-term undocumented immigrants who have not committed crimes.
Targeted Deportations, Not Mass Sweeps
Homan made it clear that his approach to deportation would not involve mass sweeps of neighborhoods. In the October interview, he dismissed fears of “concentration camps,” clarifying that deportations would be carried out through “targeted arrests” based on investigations. “We’ll know who we’re going to arrest, where we’re most likely to find them,” he explained.
Deporting Families Together
Homan was involved in Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” policy, which led to the separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents at the border. Though the policy sparked widespread backlash, Homan emphasized that he was not the author of the memo that led to the separations but signed it with the goal of “saving lives.” He has indicated that under his leadership, families could be “deported together,” rather than facing separation.
Reviving Workplace Immigration Enforcement
Homan has also suggested that his administration would reinstate mass immigration raids at workplaces, a practice discontinued by President Biden in 2021. “At the end of that due process, if the judge says you must go home, then we have to take them home,” Homan said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
A Long Career in Law Enforcement
Homan, 62, began his career as a police officer in New York before joining the U.S. Border Patrol. “I’m proud that I wore the uniform,” he said on Fox & Friends, recalling his time in the Border Patrol and his rise through the ranks.
In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Homan to head ICE’s deportation division, overseeing a record number of deportations. Homan’s work earned him the Presidential Rank Award, the highest recognition for a federal civil servant.
Under President Trump, Homan served as acting director of ICE from 2017 to 2018. Although Trump nominated him for the permanent director role, the Senate never confirmed the appointment.
Involvement in Conservative Policy
Currently, Homan is a Fox News contributor and a visiting fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He is also a contributor to Project 2025, an ultra-conservative policy initiative advocating for increased funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, enhanced border security measures, and higher fees for immigrants. While Trump has distanced himself from some of the ideas in the project during his campaign, Homan’s influence remains a key factor in shaping the border security debate.
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