WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday that he will name Tom Homan as his administration’s “border czar” as Trump seeks to fulfill his campaign pledge of mass deportations of immigrants without permanent legal status.

Homan is the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the previous Trump administration, who supported the controversial “zero tolerance” policy that separated families at the southern border.

Homan will have authority over the southern border, northern border, maritime border and aviation security, according to a post on Trump’s social media site, Truth Social. Trump did not specify in the social media post what exact position Homan would hold.

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there’s no one better at policing and policing our borders,” Trump said. “I have no doubt that he will do a fantastic and long-awaited job.”

Another former Trump official who played an important role in immigration policy, Stephen Miller, will be named White House deputy chief of staff for policy. according to CNN. Vice President Elect JD Vance congratulated Miller on Xformerly known as Twitter.

Like the new Trump administration intends to carry out mass deportations of people without proper legal status, Trump said Homan would be responsible for sending deportees back to their countries of origin. For this to happen, the country of origin must accept those people the United States wants to deport.

Homan served as acting director of ICE from 2017 to 2018. In a recent interview with CBS Newshe said deportations would be targeted.

“It will be a well-targeted, well-planned operation led by ICE people. The men and women of ICE do this every day. They’re good at it,” Homan said. “When we go there, we’ll know who we’re looking for. We most likely know where they will be and it will be done in a humane manner.”

There are more than 14.4 million people who live in mixed-status families, meaning that at least one member has a different legal status. During the interview, Homan was asked if mass deportations could happen without separating families.

“Of course there is,” he said. “Families can be deported together.”

According to the 2018 “zero tolerance” policy, at least 5,000 migrant families were separated. The Department of Homeland Security reunited about 74 percent of these families, but they still exist 998 children who were not reunited.

Trump previously declined to say whether he would resume family separations in a second term.

“Well, when you have this policy, people don’t come. If a family hears that they are going to split up, they love their family. They don’t come. So I know that sounds harsh,” Trump said during a CNN town hall in May 2023.

Last updated at 11:22, November 11, 2024