President-elect Donald Trump has announced former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Thomas Homan as the new “border czar” for his upcoming administration.
In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security.”
Trump added, “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders.”
In addition to protecting the borders of the United States, Trump announced that Homan will “be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin.” The president-elect congratulated Homan for his appointment and expressed confidence in him, saying, “I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”
Trump’s announcement of Homan as the new “border czar” comes just days after the president-elect defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the “border czar” during the Biden-Harris administration.
The Department of Homeland Security’s website shows that illegal immigration has skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration. Data published by the Department of Homeland Security reveals that almost three million illegal border crossings occurred in Fiscal Year 2024, while over 10.8 million illegal border encounters have occurred since Fiscal Year 2021.
Discussing the Trump administration’s plan to deport illegal immigrants during a Fox News interview on Sunday, Homan said, “It’s going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it.”
Homan added, “When we go out there, we’re going to know who we’re looking for. We most likely know where they’re going to be, and it’s going to be done in a humane manner.”
According to Politico, Homan was appointed by Trump as the acting director of ICE in 2017. While the president-elect nominated Homan was ICE’s permanent director, the Senate ultimately did not move forward with Homan’s nomination.
Politico reported that Homan would not require Senate confirmation if he is part of the White House staff; however, as a member of the White House staff, the border czar would not have legal authority over the federal agencies responsible for protecting the border. As a result, the outlet noted that Homan would likely have to work with Senate-confirmed appointments and with other individuals in the Trump administration to direct the actions of various federal agencies.
