CBS News' Margaret Brennan presses President-elect Trump's new border czar, Tom Homan, about the incoming administration's plans for mass deportations.
Homan joined Brennan.Let's face the nation” appeared on Sunday and was asked about President Trump's plans for the largest deportation operation in history. Brennan asked the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) how many deportations his administration considers a success.
Homan directed this conversation to the Biden administration, which took steps earlier this year to limit the number of asylum seekers entering the country through the U.S.-Mexico border. Homan claimed that 80% of the Biden administration's deportation numbers were due to Border Patrol apprehensions of deportees who crossed the southern border.
“These are not arrests resulting from internal investigations,” he said, adding that the Biden administration is “playing a numbers game.”
Brennan noted that the numbers are still higher than when Trump first took office. She pressed Homan on whether arresting and deporting people already in the United States, in addition to closing the southern border, would lead to success.
“You can compare the number of deportations under the Trump administration and the Biden administration,” he said. “Given the lowest number of arrivals in 45 years, deportations will decline.” [is] This amount would be even lower because there would be no population to process and deport. ”
Mr. Brennan continued to press Mr. Homan, questioning what the measure of success was for the Trump administration's first-day deportation plan.
Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Homan have disclosed specific plans to deport millions of people. President Trump has said he intends to use the U.S. military to carry out his plans, but immigration advocates warn that this lofty goal will be costly and harmful to the country.
Homan said Sunday that President Trump will focus on threats to public safety, including immigrants who commit crimes or seek to harm the nation.
Mr. Brennan asked how the administration would find criminals and what the deportation plan would be.
Homan said ICE knows the whereabouts of “some” people, but blames Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for not making arrests. He also criticized sanctuary cities, which say they do not target migrants, putting their communities at greater risk.
Mr Brennan questioned the process of deporting so many people, especially when other countries are unwilling to accept them.
“We look forward to President Trump working with Venezuela, as he has with Mexico and El Salvador, to bring Venezuela back to those countries,” Homan said. “Even if they don't, they'll be deported. They'll just be deported to another country.”
“The safety of the American people must come first,” he continued. “Too many young women have been murdered, raped and burned alive by Venezuelan gang members. They need to be a priority under this administration. They should be a priority from day one. He will be deported.”
Brennan ended the interview by saying the country “will continue to pay close attention to the details.”
