President-elect Donald Trump's new border czar, Tom Homan, is putting together a massive deportation plan to begin in earnest after he is sworn into office in January.
Homan spoke to Center Square about his priorities, marking a marked difference from Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden's border czar, who has repeatedly said the border is safe and there is no need to go there. Under the Biden-Harris administration, approximately 14 million people were reported to have crossed the border illegally, the highest number in U.S. history, Center Square reported. reported.
“The overarching theme is that millions of people are in this country illegally, and this is a crime,” Homan said. He said the Biden administration has maintained that people who cross the border illegally have a “right to apply for asylum” and a right to be sued before an immigration judge. “We gave them an opportunity to meet with a judge, but based on immigration court data, nearly nine out of 10 of them receive a deportation order because they do not qualify for asylum. I understand.”
He said the fact that millions of people have entered the United States illegally and nine out of 10 have been ordered deported calls for a “massive deportation operation.” “Is that a dirty word? No, we need a mass deportation program to end the historic mass illegal immigration, where nine out of 10 people have been ordered removed. The only other option is to deport them. “Let them stay,” he argues, overrides immigration laws and the immigration court system.
“This also sends a message to the whole world that you can enter this country illegally, go to court and lose, and still not be able to return home.” “We will never resolve the Southwest border crisis that way. So, you know what? You can't demand due process and not accept the end result.” Homeland Security Department Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “He himself has testified many times before Congress that those who are ineligible for asylum will be removed. Now, guess what? It's time to do the removal part.”
Deletion priority
He said the removal process prioritizes individuals based on their threat to society. “Priorities will be focused on public safety threats, national security threats, fugitives,” meaning “those who have spent significant taxpayer dollars to receive due process and who have been ordered removed by a federal judge.” These people did not leave and became fugitives.
Individuals on the federal government's terrorist watch list and “aliens of special interest” from foreign countries of concern are all priorities, he said. He said he would “work closely with the FBI and intelligence agencies” to identify and locate them. “We know that a record number of people on terrorist watch lists have crossed the border,” he said. Homan has long warned that the border crisis poses the greatest national security threat since 9/11.
Last year alone, numerous officials issued Biden issued an “imminent terrorist attack warning” and extended several national emergency orders citing the continuing threat of terrorism since 9/11. Under his watch, the largest number of known or suspected terrorists were arrested, most of them in the Plaza de la Center, on the northern border. reported.
Under the Biden administration, more than 660,000 foreign nationals who committed crimes have recently been confirmed to have been deported by ICE, including 435,719 convicted criminals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Square reported. reported. ICE agents arrested more than 387,000 criminals from 2021 to 2023, Center Square reported. The majority were nationals of Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Find and delete millions of things SIAthose from C.O.F.C.criminals released into the United States through. CHNV Homan said the parole program, which includes members of violent Venezuelan prison gangs and people identified in national security cases, “will be in place for a long time.”
US military role
Homan said the U.S. military will support Trump's deportation efforts. Title VIII enforcement powers will continue to be vested in federal agents at U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations.
He said the military would provide air and ground transportation support and work on targeting construction work and intelligence operations. “They can do all kinds of things without needing immigration authorities,” he said. “Immigration authorities such as HSI officers, ICE officers and deportation officers will make the arrests.” He also noted that “the Department of Defense has been used by every administration to assist with border issues.” We intend to expand that enforcement to support non-law enforcement missions. ”
But, he says, “nobody ignores us.” “If you enter the country illegally, there will be problems,” he once said. warned “Joe Biden is calling out the millions of illegal aliens he has released into our country in violation of federal law by saying, 'You better start packing up now, because you're going home.'
Homan also encouraged all foreign nationals who are in the country illegally to voluntarily return to their countries of origin as it is better for them to do so.
“If you are in the country illegally and have a deportation order, or if you are still in the country without a deportation order, please leave on your own, because there are no penalties for quitting on your own. If you actually have to issue a formal deportation order and be deported, you must be deported for 20 years. A ban is imposed, which means you can't get a visit visa or a tourist visa. If you have a child who is a U.S. citizen living here, they can't officially petition on your behalf. It is better to leave on your own than to be ordered to leave.”
