Trump Border Czar Promises Quick Action On Immigration, Illegal Migrants
Tom Homan, recently appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s “border czar,” has announced that the incoming administration is wasting no time addressing immigration enforcement and border security. In a weekend interview, Homan revealed that he has already begun preparations by engaging with key stakeholders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and officials in Arizona and Canada.
“We’re not waiting for January 20th. We’re working now to secure the border as quickly as possible,” Homan stated.
Homan also touched on challenges posed by sanctuary cities, citing a recent case in Brooklyn where an ICE detainer was ignored, leading to public safety concerns. He noted his discussions with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who pledged to cooperate on removing public safety threats and locating over 300,000 missing children, though Adams acknowledged political hurdles within his city council.
Addressing broader enforcement plans, Homan warned that mass deportation efforts under the new administration would likely include collateral arrests in sanctuary cities, where lack of cooperation from local authorities forces federal agents to operate within communities.
“Sanctuary policies make it harder to focus solely on criminal offenders. When we can’t get to the bad guys in jail, we’re compelled to seek them out in the community, which can lead to other individuals being arrested,” Homan explained.
He emphasized that the administration would prioritize deporting individuals with criminal records and the 1.4 million immigrants under final deportation orders. Of these, over 700,000 have criminal convictions, making them a central focus of initial enforcement actions.
Homan criticized sanctuary jurisdictions for obstructing federal efforts, stating that such policies hinder public safety and complicate immigration enforcement. Nonetheless, he affirmed the administration’s commitment to addressing these challenges head-on.