Breaking: South Korea declares emergency martial law. President accuses the opposition of anti-state activities.
Incoming border czar Tom Homan is preparing to ally with states like Texas to implement the sweeping immigration and border policies proposed by President-elect Donald Trump.
Ideas floated by Trump and Homan so far include quickly rolling back policies from the Biden administration, issuing a national emergency declaration and using the military to assist in deportations.
Incoming border czar Tom Homan (C) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) serve food to Texas personnel deployed to the southern border, in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Nov. 26, 2024. Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times
Trump will also probably reissue executive orders from his first administration, repealed by President Joe Biden when he took office in Jan. 2021.
Homan has praised the Texas model of border enforcement over the past four years, which included erecting fencing and razor wire along the border, placing barriers in the Rio Grande, and building its own border wall.
Texas recently offered the incoming administration a 1,400-acre ranch to use as a deportation hub.
Homan views the vast numbers of illegals crossing the border as a security threat.
He said illegal immigrants who evade capture—known as gotaways, and not counted in the 10.8 million illegal immigrant encounters documented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection since 2021—are particularly concerning because they don’t want to get caught.
“If you don’t think a single one of the 2 million that came from a country sponsor of terror aren’t coming to do us harm, then you’re an idiot,” Homan said.
It is unclear how much pushback the new administration will face, especially from some sanctuary states and pro-immigration groups.
SOME STATES ARE ON BOARD
The federal government has hampered some states’ efforts to control illegal immigration during the past four years of the Biden administration, even using litigation.
Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said he expects that will cease when Trump takes office in January.
“It'll be a complete reversal of what’s happened over the past four years,” Von Spakovsky told The Epoch Times.
Former Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Rodney Scott, who served under both Trump and Biden, told The Epoch Times that the Trump administration could expand the 287(g) program.
The program is currently used to coordinate ICE taking custody of illegal immigrants arrested on criminal charges by state and local law enforcement.
However, it could be expanded to allow a task force to train and deputize local and state law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants.
Sanctuary states and cities cannot legally stop federal agents from apprehending illegal immigrants, Scott said.
But in those states, ICE agents may have to go door-to-door to arrest illegals, rather than picking them up from jails.
Scott said while the Trump administration may prioritize removing criminals and those with deportation orders first, people who have overstayed a visa or crossed into the country illegally are not safe from deportation under the law.
OTHERS WILL RESIST DEPORTATIONS
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she would cooperate with Trump on stopping the illegal importation of fentanyl, but would not commit to deporting illegal immigrants.
“I will stand up to protect Arizonans from harm by the federal government, from anyone,” Hobbs said. “I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals. We don’t know what a mass deportation plan will look like, what resources it will involve.”
Similarly, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference last week that she would work with Trump on deporting known criminals who are in the country illegally.
But she also warned that if Trump’s policies were to “harm New Yorkers or roll back their rights,” she would fight it “every step of the way.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis are leading a newly created “Governors Safeguarding Democracy.”
The alliance purports to prevent “authoritarianism” and the “undermining of democratic institutions” by resisting Trump’s policies.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a “sanctuary city” ordinance this month, which was supported by Mayor Karen Bass.
Under the provision, city resources would not be used to help deport illegal immigrants.
It also bans city departments from sharing information on those who entered the country unlawfully with federal authorities.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said that the Denver police and citizens would block federal immigration officials from deporting illegal immigrants.
Johnston said that the Denver Police Department may be “stationed at the county line” to keep federal immigration officials out.
HOMAN ISSUES WARNING
Homan has hinted at a targeted approach beginning with the removal of illegal immigrants with criminal conviction and deportation orders.
The administration would begin by removing the most violent criminals residing illegally in the United States and those whom a federal judge has already ordered to leave.
Homan warned gangs such as Tren de Aragua, the violent Venezuelan gang known for taking over apartment complexes in Colorado and Texas, that their days of operating in the United States are numbered.
“My gang’s bigger than your gang,” he said.
Homan also said those who leave voluntarily may be able to return legally, while those who are forced out may face a 20-year ban.
“So leave the country of your own free will. Don’t get a deportation order, and you can apply for a work visa. You can apply for a visitor visa,” he said.
If Trump declares a national emergency, he may be able to use the military in his deportation efforts.
Civil rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have vowed to oppose this.
“As we ready litigation and create firewalls for freedom across blue states, we must also sound the alarm that what’s on the horizon will change the very nature of American life for tens of millions of Americans,” Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a press release.
The new admin will also have to shut off funds to NGOs aiding illegal immigrants that come to the United States. Many of these groups are funded through the DHS, FEMA, and Health and Human Services.
For example, the Senate bipartisan border bill rejected by Republican lawmakers included a line item giving NGOs $1.4 billion to help illegal immigrants.
—Darlene McCormick Sanchez, Stacy Robinson
BOOKMARKS
President-elect Donald Trump is warning nations in the BRICS alliance—Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates—not to make a play against the U.S. dollar. Trump cautioned that he will impose a 100 percent tariff on goods from those countries if they follow through with plans to form a unified currency to undermine the dollar.
An audit of Canada’s pandemic loan initiative has revealed the program was poorly monitored, handing out $3.5 billion to businesses that did not qualify. The Canada Emergency Business Account distributed money to nearly 900,000 small businesses but did not “exercise basic controls in contract management,” according to Auditor General Karen Hogan.
France’s government may face collapse as two of its political blocs, Marine Le Pen’s National Assembly and Mathilde Panot’s France Unbowed, are pondering a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Barnier faces criticism over a $20 billion euro tax hike, and after forcing a controversial social security budget through Parliament without a vote.
Ontario is raising the alarm over proposed energy regulations that would raise costs for businesses between 13 and 17 percent. Alberta and Saskatchewan have flatly stated that they will not follow the new rules, which aim to lower carbon emissions, but may cost tens of billions to implement.
Trump warned on Monday that there will be “all hell to pay in the Middle East,” if hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel are not released before he assumes office in January. The warning comes shortly after terrorist group Hamas released a video purportedly showing a hostage, Israeli American Edan Alexander, begging to be freed.
The hunt for the perfect Christmas tree has begun for many Americans, with Dec. 25 just a few short weeks away. The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) predicts that between 25 million and 30 million will be purchased this holiday season.
—Stacy Robinson
