Trump appoints ex-immigration chief Thomas Homan as border czar
The president-elect has announced that Homan will be responsible for managing the deportation of individuals who are in the country illegally.
TroibNews 
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Thomas Homan to take on the role of “border czar” for his incoming administration.
Homan’s selection was anticipated. “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump stated in an announcement on the Truth Social platform late Sunday night. According to Trump, Homan will oversee the borders with Mexico and Canada, in addition to managing the U.S. coastline and airspace.
Trump, who has vowed to aggressively deport undocumented immigrants, mentioned that this responsibility would also fall under Homan’s purview. “Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote.
In the early days of his first term in 2017, Trump appointed Homan as the acting director of ICE. Later that year, he nominated Homan for the permanent director position; however, the Senate did not act on that nomination.
Homan was instrumental in creating and implementing Trump’s contentious family separation policy. This policy mandated that children crossing the southern border without legal permission be separated from their parents or guardians, allowing for criminal prosecutions of adults involved. The policy, often referred to as “zero tolerance,” was initiated in 2017 and intensified in early 2018 until public outcry led the administration to retreat from it.
During a speech at the Republican National Convention this summer, to an audience displaying “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” signs, Homan was straightforward in his message. “As a guy who spent 34 years deporting illegal aliens, I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden’s released in our country in violation of federal law: You better start packing now. You’re damn right. Cause you’re going home,” he declared.
As part of the White House staff, Homan will not require Senate confirmation for his position. However, he will lack legal authority over federal agencies dealing with border management and will need to coordinate their efforts through officials who have been confirmed by the Senate or appointed as acting officials or during recess appointments.
Homan officially retired from ICE in 2018. In a notable incident the following year, Trump unexpectedly announced Homan's return as “border czar,” a revelation that caught Homan off guard. He subsequently informed lawmakers that he had never accepted the position. Although he did not rejoin the administration, Homan has remained a strong advocate for Trump’s stringent immigration policies in media appearances and public forums.
Betsy Woodruff Swan contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Homan’s selection was anticipated. “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump stated in an announcement on the Truth Social platform late Sunday night. According to Trump, Homan will oversee the borders with Mexico and Canada, in addition to managing the U.S. coastline and airspace.
Trump, who has vowed to aggressively deport undocumented immigrants, mentioned that this responsibility would also fall under Homan’s purview. “Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin,” Trump wrote.
In the early days of his first term in 2017, Trump appointed Homan as the acting director of ICE. Later that year, he nominated Homan for the permanent director position; however, the Senate did not act on that nomination.
Homan was instrumental in creating and implementing Trump’s contentious family separation policy. This policy mandated that children crossing the southern border without legal permission be separated from their parents or guardians, allowing for criminal prosecutions of adults involved. The policy, often referred to as “zero tolerance,” was initiated in 2017 and intensified in early 2018 until public outcry led the administration to retreat from it.
During a speech at the Republican National Convention this summer, to an audience displaying “MASS DEPORTATION NOW!” signs, Homan was straightforward in his message. “As a guy who spent 34 years deporting illegal aliens, I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden’s released in our country in violation of federal law: You better start packing now. You’re damn right. Cause you’re going home,” he declared.
As part of the White House staff, Homan will not require Senate confirmation for his position. However, he will lack legal authority over federal agencies dealing with border management and will need to coordinate their efforts through officials who have been confirmed by the Senate or appointed as acting officials or during recess appointments.
Homan officially retired from ICE in 2018. In a notable incident the following year, Trump unexpectedly announced Homan's return as “border czar,” a revelation that caught Homan off guard. He subsequently informed lawmakers that he had never accepted the position. Although he did not rejoin the administration, Homan has remained a strong advocate for Trump’s stringent immigration policies in media appearances and public forums.
Betsy Woodruff Swan contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
