President-elect Donald Trump said Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will serve as his “border czar” in his next administration.
“I am thrilled to announce that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director and Border Patrol strongman, Tom Homan, will join the Trump Administration, responsible for our nation’s borders,” he wrote late Sunday on his Truth Social website.
Homan was widely expected to be offered a border position and Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in the country’s history.
In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders and “maritime security and aviation security,” Trump said Homan “will be responsible for all deportations of illegal aliens to their country of origin,” a key part of his agenda.
He says he has “no doubt” that Homan “will do a great job that is long overdue.”
Such a role does not require Senate approval.
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In an interview with Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Homan said the military would not round up and detain immigrants in the country illegally, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would move to implement Trump’s plans “in a humane manner.”
“It’s going to be a well-directed, planned operation by the ICE guys. The men and women of ICE do it every day. They’re good at it,” he said. “When we get out there, we’ll know who to look for. “We probably know where they will be, and it will be done in a humane way.”
Earlier this year, at the National Conservation Conference in Washington, Homan expressed frustration with news coverage of a mass deportation.
“Wait until 2025,” he said, adding that although he believes the government needs to prioritize national security threats, “no one is off the table.” If you’re here illegally, you’d better look over your shoulder.
He also said: “I’ve got my word. Trump will be back in January, and I’ll be on his heels when he comes back, running the largest deportation this country has ever seen.”
Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.
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