Tom Homan said the incoming Trump administration will enforce border security and immigration laws.
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, said on Jan. 19 that he intends to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal immigration.
Homan said the incoming Trump administration will enforce border security and immigration laws to ensure the removal of immigrants who were already ordered to leave the country by a federal judge.
“It’s a big operation,” Homan said in an interview with The Epoch Times’ Jan Jekielek at the Turning Point USA event on Jan. 19. “Every day, we’re gonna make a difference.”
“For every criminal we take off the streets, we make the streets safer. For every child we find in sex trafficking, it’s going to save a life. For every pound of fentanyl we seize at the border … there’s going to be less overdose deaths in this country,” he said.
“You’re going to see a difference, starting day one.”
Homan, who served as acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s first term, suggested that the process will require cooperation from local law enforcement in sanctuary cities.
“We want partnerships with state, local, federal law enforcement,” he said. “So we want American people to get involved. They see a lot of things.”
Some sanctuary cities have already taken steps to protect illegal immigrants after Trump pledged to initiate mass deportations. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a policy last month that will block the use of county resources to support ICE activities.
In November 2024, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance banning the use of city resources and personnel for federal immigration enforcement. The Los Angeles Unified School District also adopted a resolution on Nov. 19, 2024, declaring itself a “sanctuary district” for students and families within the school district.
Deportation Plan
Homan has previously stated that the mass deportation operation would begin in Chicago. He said the incoming Trump administration is reviewing certain aspects of the plan related to its location and timing, following a leak of details to the press.
