Tom Homan, who was appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the “largest deportation operation in U.S. history,” said Friday that the new administration is considering creating a hotline for Americans to report suspected criminals. I made it clear that I was doing it.
“I want a place where the American people can call and report,” the incoming border czar said of the “novel ideas” being evaluated by the Trump transition team. During an interview with NBC News.
“We need to take care of the American people,” Homan added. “We need to make sure they have a point of contact to report child traffickers and forced labor traffickers.
“We want to give them the opportunity to be a part of the fix.”
Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, argued that the benefits of mass deportations of immigrants who commit crimes while in the United States illegally cannot be overstated.
“I think mass deportation and its consequences are more important than anything else for this country,” he said. “I don't put a price on all the young women who are raped and murdered. I don't put a price on national security.”
Homan, 63, also teased that the next administration would move to close the Darien Gap, a 70-mile stretch of dangerous jungle in Panama that serves as the only land bridge connecting South and Central America.
“It needs to happen,” he said. “Closing the Darien Gap will protect national security. It will save thousands of lives.”
This popular smuggling route was used by more than 530,000 migrants last year alone as part of caravan voyages to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We're going to work with foreign governments,” Homan said of how the Trump administration will crack down on illegal border crossings in the Darien Valley.
Panama Security Minister Frank Abrego told the Wall Street Journal Last month, the country's immigration authorities saw a 40% drop in arrivals, but they fear numbers could rise again without continued support from the United States.
“We want the Trump administration to recognize that the border is actually here at the Darien Gap and understand how complex that region is,” Mulino told the Journal.
“We remain concerned,” he added.
