President-elect Donald Trump‘s border czar, Tom Homan, issued a stark warning to Democratic lawmakers.
Homan sent a “clear message” to sanctuary cities opposing the incoming administration’s stricter border policies: either get on board or step aside.
Trump won the 2024 election with immigration policy as a central focus of his campaign, pledging to implement the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. Homan’s position is central to immigration policy, making him crucial to the success or failure of Trump’s administration.
The former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director issued a withering critique of Democrats opposed to Trump’s flagship mass deportation policy on Fox News‘s Sunday Morning Futures.
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“You’ve got San Diego writing legislation. You’ve got Colorado and other states and other cities saying they’re going to prevent us doing what I’m doing. I want to send a clear message.
“If you let us in the jail, we can arrest the bad guy in the jail and in the safety and security of the jail. One officer could do that, but when you release a public safety threat back in the community, you put the community at risk. You put my officers at risk. You put the alien at risk,” he said.
He added: “Here’s what’s going to happen – you release that guy in the community, I’m going to send an entire team to go look for the guy in your community. And what’s going to happen? We’ll find that guy. And when we find that guy, there’s probably going to be others that are not a priority.
“However, if they’re in the country illegally, they’ll be arrested, too, because we’re not going to tell an immigration officer like this [Biden] administration did, that you’re going to turn your back on an illegal immigrant. When you’re an immigration officer, you have an oath to uphold, so you are forcing us into community in large numbers where other non-priority aliens will be arrested.
“That’s the exact result you don’t want, so let us in the jail. It’s safer for everybody.”
Homan has been a major critic of the Biden administration’s handling of matters concerning immigration policy.
His selection as border czar has been praised by GOP lawmakers.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz told Newsweek that Homan will take the U.S.-Mexico border crisis “seriously”.
“Tom Homan is a serious man. He takes this seriously. And I think you’re going to see real resources devoted to going and finding, going and finding the murderers, the rapists, the child molesters who have been released, who are, who are, who are, right now, illegal aliens who are free in every community, he said.
Across the aisle, some Democrats have expressed a willingness to work with Homan to enforce border security measures.
Rep. Henry Cuellar told Newsweek: “I’ve been communicating with Tom Holtman, and we have agreed to sit down.
“He’s been through different administrations, and he’s one of those folks that knows his job very well, and I certainly want to work with him.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams is expected to meet with Homan on Thursday.
“I am looking forward to sitting down and speaking with the border czar next week,” Adams said on MSNBC.
“I want to hear the actual plan and how are we going to operationalize the plan,” Adams added.
Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2017 to 2018, was a key figure behind the controversial family separation policy.
“I’m sick and tired of hearing about the family separation,” Homan said. “I’m still being sued over that,” Homan said.
“I don’t give a s***, right? Bottom line is, we enforced the law.”
Meanwhile, human rights groups have slammed the appointment of Homan, citing concerns over his previous actions and statements that they view as harmful to immigrant rights and marginalized communities.
His remarks regarding immigrant communities have been criticized as inflammatory and dehumanizing.
Amy Fischer, Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA, previously told Newsweek: “President-elect Trump has already openly announced his intention to implement policies that completely disregard human rights, human dignity, and family unity.
“The proposed policies are rooted in racism and xenophobia with the sole aim of causing cruel and immense suffering to people coming to the US to rebuild their lives,” Fisher added.