US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said he will appoint Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan as the "border czar" who will be in charge of the country's borders.
“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 wrote late Sunday on his Truth Social site.
It was widely expected that Homan would be offered the crucial position in Trump's administration. He will now be in charge of overseeing Trump's campaign pledge of launching the largest deportation operation in the country's history.
In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders and “maritime, and aviation security,” Trump said Homan “will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” a central part of his agenda.
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Who is Tom Homan?
Thomas D Homan is a US law enforcement official who served as the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from January 2017 to June 2018.
Homan was an important figure as the acting director of the ICE during the previous administration of Donald Trump.
He gained recognition for his strong advocacy of strict immigration enforcement before retiring in 2018.
He was outspoken about deporting undocumented immigrants and oversaw a system that placed a record number of immigrant children in US custody, according to CNN.
Homan defended a “zero tolerance” immigration policy, under which family members were separated during detention and deportation proceedings.
In a recent interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," he emphasized that "families could be deported together," in response to questions about Trump's promise of mass deportations upon taking office, according to CNN.
However, Homan clarified that efforts to address illegal immigration would be more focused, though specific plans and costs are still unclear.
“It’s not going to be a mass sweep of neighborhoods. It’s not going to be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous,” he said.
Homan frequently spoke at White House briefings, defending his agents' arrests of undocumented immigrants, pushing for stronger enforcement, and criticizing “sanctuary city” policies.
His statement to Congress that undocumented immigrants “should be afraid” also drew significant attention.
What is Trump’s mass deportation plan?
During campaigning for the presidential polls, Trump had vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants out of the US when he returns to power.
“As soon as I take the oath of office, we will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of our country," Trump said in July.
In his victory speech, Trump said that he will seal the US borders and those who want to come into the country will have to do so "legally".
His plan includes completing the border wall and conducting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Trump is expected to mobilize agencies across the US government to help him deport record numbers of immigrants, building on efforts in his first term to tap all available resources and pressure so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions to cooperate, according to six former Trump officials and allies.
According to figures from the Department of Homeland Security and Pew Research, there are nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in US.
(With inputs from agencies)
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