On Sunday night, President-elect Donald Trump declared his decision regarding the leadership of border management, appointing Tom Homan as his designated “border czar.”
Homan is well-acquainted with this responsibility; he acted as the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s previous administration from 2017 to 2018.
“I’m thrilled to share that the former ICE Director and a firm advocate for Border Security, Tom Homan, will be part of the Trump Administration, overseeing our country’s borders (‘The Border Czar’), which encompasses, among other duties, the Southern and Northern Borders, along with all Maritime and Air Security,” Trump shared on Truth Social late Sunday.
“I’ve known Tom for quite some time, and there is no one more adept at managing and securing our Borders,” Trump continued. “Additionally, Tom Homan will oversee all deportations of illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have complete confidence he will perform exceptionally well, just as we have awaited.”
This announcement prompted a congratulatory message from Elon Musk: “Congratulations @RealTomHoman on being appointed to enforce our borders!”
Homan has consistently spoken out on border matters; he was an early proponent of the “zero-tolerance” policy and has been reported by CNN to have contributed suggestions to Project 2025 aimed at overhauling the nation’s immigration legislation. When questioned in an interview on 60 Minutes last month about the feasibility of mass deportations without splitting up families, Homan replied, “Absolutely. Families can be deported together.”
During the National Conservatism conference in July, according to Semafor, Homan remarked, “When Trump returns in January, I’ll be right there with him, and I will implement the largest deportation effort this country has ever witnessed… They haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait for 2025.”
In that same month, Homan addressed the Republican National Convention, delivering a strong message to his party. “I have a warning for the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden has allowed into our nation in breach of federal law: You’d better start preparing to leave. You can bet on it.”
Homan has yet to make a public statement regarding the announcement.
However, in a Fox News interview on Sunday, Homan offered some insight into what the future holds: “It’s going to be the most extensive first… that’s the only way to approach it,” he explained, adding, “It will be a meticulously planned operation executed by the team at ICE. The professionals at ICE handle this regularly. They excel at it.”
