TIPP survey after survey has shown that along with the Biden-Harris administration’s poor record on economic stewardship (inflation touched 40-year highs), Americans were deeply concerned about unprecedented illegal immigration, which brought in nearly 18 million undocumented people into the country. In TIPP polls conducted in the battleground states, Trump led Harris by 20 points on immigration.
Even the outgoing Biden-Harris administration conceded how bad the problem was. In September, the acting chief of Biden's Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a letter to Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican Congressman. Gonzalez's request for immigrant data had been sitting with ICE for more than six months.
The letter was explosive, enough to sink any campaign. It said that under Harris, the Border Czar, America had caught and released into the country over 662,000 migrants with criminal records. Worse, more than 15,000 of them were murderers convicted in their home countries, and 16,000 had been convicted of sexual assault. Other crimes included assaults (100,000), drug violations (70,000), invasions of privacy (90,000), and weapons offenses (16,000).
So potent was the illegal immigration issue that it resonated not just in the border states of Arizona and Nevada but in places far removed from the border, like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
As President-Elect, Trump selected long-time aide and campaign manager Susie Wiles for a historic appointment as the first female White House Chief of Staff. Then, he fittingly announced his choice for border czar: Tom Homan.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said:
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 ("The Border Czar"), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security. I've known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic and long-awaited job.
Yesterday, Trump added policy heft to Homan’s appointment when he announced that his long-term aide on all matters of immigration, Stephen Miller, who has served as a top adviser in Trumpworld since 2015, will return to the White House as deputy chief of staff for policy.
Trump's appointment of a Border Czar, as the first of several high-profile announcements, shows that he means business in tackling America's #2 problem, according to voters. His selection of Homan further intensifies his commitment to cleaning the house, including conducting mass deportations of illegal aliens.
Who is Tom Homan? Homan is a retired law enforcement officer with a lengthy career focused on immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump appointed Homan as the acting ICE director in January 2017. Homan served in this role until his retirement in June 2018. Throughout his tenure, he was known for his strong support of Trump's immigration policies and took a decisive public stance in promoting the administration's approach to border security. He frequently appeared in the media to advocate for zero-tolerance policies, such as increased deportations and family separations at the border.
Homan's background includes over three decades of service in immigration enforcement. Before leading ICE, he held roles such as Executive Associate Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), where he focused on identifying, detaining, and removing undocumented immigrants from the U.S. His work emphasized enforcing federal immigration laws, often targeting undocumented individuals with criminal records.
Since leaving ICE, Homan has continued to be vocal on immigration issues, often speaking out on television, writing opinion pieces, and appearing before Congress to advocate for stricter immigration controls.
In the weeks before the election, Homan was interviewed on CBS News's 60 Minutes.
60 Minutes: We have seen one estimate that says it would cost $88 billion to deport a million people a year.
Homan: I don't know if it is accurate or not.
60 Minutes: Is that what American taxpayers should expect?
Homan: What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?
60 Minutes: Is there a way to conduct mass deportations without separating families?
Homan: Of course there is. Families can be deported together.
Biden-Harris policies have failed America. The Biden-Harris administration indirectly welcomed illegal immigration by pursuing a more humane policy, one that aligns better with what they held to be "America's values." In the process, they weakened enforcement at every step, resulting in nearly 18 million migrants spreading to every corner of the country. Harris consistently dodged answering questions about how she, as the Border Czar, could be so incompetent. It is now Homan's role to find the most dangerous illegal immigrants and deport them to their home countries, an incredibly challenging goal.
Asylees. When undocumented persons enter the U.S. at a border post, they apply for asylum. To be granted asylum in the U.S., applicants must show a reasonable fear of persecution due to one of five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The persecution must be by the government or by groups the government is unable or unwilling to control. However, 90% of asylum requests are denied by United States courts, as most applicants are seeking better economic conditions.
The system is hopelessly broken. There aren't sufficient asylum judges, and with the overwhelming flow of migrants, backlogs have built up. It takes about nine years for an asylum hearing, during which time the illegal alien is allowed to settle into the country with relatives or friends. If the alien gives birth to a child during this waiting period, the child becomes a United States citizen, according to the 14th Amendment. Having U.S. citizen children makes it extraordinarily difficult for aliens to be deported if their asylum requests are denied. It is unlikely that Homan can act on immigrants awaiting decisions on their asylum requests.
Immigrants who slip through Border posts. Many immigrants, fearing that the Department of Homeland Security will continue tracking them in America if they register for asylum at a Border Patrol post - or deny initial asylum processing if the immigrant has a criminal record - risk it all by slipping into the country between border posts. No one knows how many untracked aliens are roaming freely within America. Homan has to focus ICE's efforts on finding these individuals, apprehending them based on enforcement priorities, and deporting them.
In the meantime, Homan has to tighten policing to prevent new caravans from arriving near the border or making an attempt to enter the United States.
Last but not least, Homan is a stark contrast to Harris, who distanced herself from her role as border czar and avoided visiting the border for an extended period. Trump has the mandate and is determined to fix the situation, much like he did in eliminating the ISIS threat, which largely went underreported by left-leaning media.
Whether Homan is working to deport illegal aliens who are already here or tightening border security, his job is thankless. But if anyone is qualified to take it on, it is Tom Homan.
