President-elect has stated that Tom Homan, his former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will serve as “border czar” in his upcoming administration.
“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,” he said in a late Sunday statement.
Homan was reportedly offered a position related to border security and Trump’s promise to implement the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history.
In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders, as well as “maritime, and aviation security,” Trump stated that Homan “will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” a key component of his agenda.
He expressed confidence that Homan “will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”
This position does not require Senate confirmation.
In an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Homan indicated that the military would not be involved in rounding up and detaining immigrants who are in the country illegally. He also confirmed that ICE would implement Trump’s plans in a “humane manner.”
“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,” he said. “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.”
Earlier this year, during the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, Homan expressed frustration with the media’s coverage of a potential mass deportation operation.
“Wait until 2025,” he said, adding that while he believes the government should prioritize national security threats, “no one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.”
He also stated: “you’ve got my word. Trump comes back in January, I’ll be in his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”
—Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.