President-elect Donald Trump announced Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as his administration’s new “border czar.” Homan, a veteran of immigration enforcement with decades of experience, will oversee border security and deportation operations in Trump’s second term, fulfilling a core campaign pledge to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and bolster immigration enforcement.
“I am pleased to announce that Former ICE Director Tom Homan, a stalwart on Border Control, will join the Trump Administration to lead our nation’s border security efforts,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Homan’s responsibilities will include overseeing both the southern and northern borders, as well as maritime and aviation security, and ramping up deportation operations.
Homan, known for his no-nonsense approach to immigration, rose through the ranks starting as a Border Patrol agent in 1984. He served as ICE’s acting director in 2017 and 2018, when deportation arrests surged by 40%. Homan has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s hardline immigration stance since leaving office and has vowed to carry out the most extensive deportation operation in U.S. history, starting with individuals who pose public safety risks. “If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder,” Homan warned in recent statements.
Despite the scale of his plans, Homan has emphasized that deportation efforts will prioritize those considered national security threats and public safety risks, promising “a well-targeted, humane approach.” He has assured that ICE agents will continue to implement Trump’s immigration policies professionally and efficiently, without resorting to extreme measures.
During Trump’s first term, Homan was instrumental in dismantling Obama-era policies that limited deportations to recent border crossers and individuals with criminal records. Instead, Trump’s policies opened deportation efforts to any undocumented person, leading to notable enforcement actions, including courthouse arrests and the controversial zero-tolerance policy that separated migrant families at the border.
In his post-retirement years, Homan continued to advocate for stronger border security and wrote a book, Defend the Border and Save Lives. His reappointment as border czar signals Trump’s intent to implement comprehensive and robust border security measures with a focus on mass deportations and stricter immigration enforcement.
