Former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan has been named President-elect Donald Trump’s “border czar” for the upcoming administration.
Trump’s choice of Homan, 62, for the position was generally expected.
“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our borders,” Trump wrote late Sunday night on the Truth Social platform, announcing Homan’s new position. Trump stated that Homan’s responsibilities will include managing the border with Mexico and Canada, as well as the United States’ coastline and airspace.
Trump, who has vowed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, stated that this will also be part of Homan’s portfolio. “Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump said on Twitter.
In his second week in office in 2017, Trump selected Homan as ICE’s interim director. Trump nominated him to be the permanent director of ICE in November of that year, but he was never confirmed by the Senate.
Homan was instrumental in developing and implementing Trump’s very contentious family separation policy, which separated children crossing the southern border into the United States without legal permission from their parents or other adults so that those people may face criminal charges. The program, known as “zero tolerance,” began in 2017 and was expanded in early 2018 before the administration backtracked when vast numbers of Americans condemned it as harsh.
Homan was unflinching in his remarks to delegates waving “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” signs at the Republican National Convention this summer.
“As someone who spent 34 years deporting illegal aliens, I’ve got a message for the millions of illegal aliens who Joe Biden has released in our country in defiance of federal law: Start packing now. You’re absolutely right. Because you’re coming home,” he explained.
Homan is anticipated to join the White House staff and would not be subject to Senate confirmation. He would not have legal authority over the federal agencies in charge of border management, therefore he would have to direct their actions through individuals who have been confirmed by the Senate or are appointed to those positions as acting officials or through recess appointments.
Homan formally retired from the ICE in 2018. The following year, Trump surprised Homan by announcing his return as “border czar” – a weird occurrence. Homan informed lawmakers the next month that he had never taken the appointment. He never returned to the government, but he remained a strong backer of Trump’s harsh immigration policies in the media and elsewhere.