Reflections on Homeland Security

Everyone has thoughts on what went well or poorly at the Department of Homeland Security, especially concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It’s a bit like asking how you got to a certain place—you’ll hear a myriad of perspectives. I have a decent grasp on the situation. Even before President Trump’s re-election, I maintained that meeting his ambitious deportation objectives would necessitate different enforcement strategies than those adopted by the current administration.

This critique is valuable but raises another question: “What comes next?”

Governments should pivot their attention from sanctuary cities to sanctuary farms, factories, and industrial hubs.

To explore this, a coalition of immigration policy leaders, legal specialists, former law enforcement members, and advocates is convening to brainstorm forward-thinking solutions. More details are on the way, but fundamentally, the aim is straightforward. President Trump can indeed fulfill his primary campaign commitment to execute the most extensive deportation effort in U.S. history.

Last year, ICE managed to deport around 230,000 undocumented immigrants from within the U.S. This number falls short of the 1 million figure suggested by some officials and is notably lower than other estimates floated during the administration. Complications arise from the Department of Homeland Security halting the publication of enforcement data, marking a first in decades.

President Trump has pledged to surpass the deportations executed under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower’s operation removed one-third of the undocumented population, and yet, by any data metric—even in a best-case assessment for the number of undocumented people by 2025—the administration is falling behind.

A significant reason for this is the Trump administration’s focus on targeting a specific group of undocumented individuals in its initial year: criminals. Whether that was the best course of action is up for debate, but it’s what transpired. This narrower focus means concentrating on fewer individuals, which has led to notable confrontations in cities like Minneapolis and Los Angeles. I’d categorize this early effort as part of what Border Czar Tom Homan might call the “worst first,” or Phase 1.

There’s a silver lining here: the Trump administration has successfully brought attention to the issue of criminal undocumented immigrants, resulting in many removals and pushing back against radical Democrats. Some of these politicians reacted foolishly, prioritizing the protection of violent offenders. That really exposed their true colors.

Now, we’re entering a second phase. This upcoming effort will broaden the focus of immigration control, shifting the emphasis from quality of deportations to quantity. The aim is mass deportation—not necessarily selective deportation. Public sentiment leans towards seeing numerical results.

At the very least, if the Trump administration can quadruple last year’s deportations, that would be a step forward. By reprioritizing and zooming in on ground enforcement, a quicker response can be achieved. Governments need to change their sights from sanctuary cities toward sanctuary farms, factories, and industrial zones.

Deportation works like a contact sport. It’s not just about ICE versus undocumented individuals; it’s also about the Trump administration grappling with special interest groups fixated on cheap labor, politicians clutching at cheap rhetoric, activist judges, and sometimes aggressive mobs. Overcoming these hurdles is possible, and we’ll outline how in the near future.

The overarching goal is to assist President Trump in fulfilling promises and even exceeding Eisenhower’s monumental deportation legacy. For this to happen, he needs backing from his strong base and the more conservative factions, not from the steady stream of consultants, pollsters, and “moderate” Republicans aiming to undermine him. I genuinely believe that the right forces will unite, leading to less drama and more results.

What Americans really deserve is a clear roadmap for transitioning from Phase 1 to a more effective Phase 2.