The official who will oversee border security under President-elect Donald Trump warned people who are in the United States illegally to “self-deport” because the federal government is going to make immigration enforcement a priority in the incoming administration.
Over the weekend, Trump released a statement on social media confirming Tom Homan, the former acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would be named as his “border czar.” The president-elect, in part, campaigned on significantly enforcing immigration laws and border security.
Homan said that illegal immigrants who are not criminals, national security threats, or gang members who want to “self-deport” can do so, adding that criminals and gang members “get no favors from this administration.”
“You came to this country illegally, which is a crime. You committed crimes against United States citizens, some heinous crimes. You get no grace period. So we’re coming for you,” he said.
Elaborating, Homan suggested that some people who are not authorized to be in the U.S. should “self-deport” because “they can put everything in order,” including their homes, businesses, and other arrangements.
“They can put all that in order and leave with their family all together,” he said.
A key component of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is his promise to carry out what he called the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. He said he may use the National Guard and invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act that was used by second U.S. President John Adams, which allows a president to detain, relocate, or deport non-citizens from a nation considered an enemy of the United States.
During the first Trump administration, he was criticized by Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), for separating illegal immigrant families at the border. When asked about family separations during a “60 Minutes” interview last month, Homan said that “families can be deported together,” in an apparent policy shift.
In that same “60 Minutes” interview before the election, Homan also described suggestions of mass neighborhood raids or building camps to hold people as “ridiculous.” He also said worksite immigration enforcement operations—which the Biden administration largely stopped—would be necessary.
As Trump’s “border czar,” Homan will be responsible for the southern and northern borders, maritime and aviation security, and will be in responsible for deportation efforts, the president-elect said in a statement.
“Mass deportations would cause significant labor shocks across multiple key industries, with especially acute impacts on construction, agriculture, and the hospitality sector,” the group said, adding that about 14 percent of people who work construction are in the United States illegally.
In campaign events and media appearances, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have said that there would be longstanding economic benefits from their deportation plan. During his Oct. 1 debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vance said that illegal immigrants, in part, are a reason why housing and rent prices have soared across the United States in recent years.
“When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries,“ the president-elect said. ”And now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”
