President-elect Trump announced on Sunday he will appoint Thomas Homan, the former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the next "border czar" when he takes office.
"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," Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday night.
"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," he added.
Per Fox News, Trump's announcement comes after he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also President Joe Biden's "border czar," in last week's presidential election. During his first presidency, Trump stressed the importance of border security, which has also been a focus in his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.
According to Homeland Security's website, there was a significant increase in illegal border crossings under the Biden administration, with nearly 3 million in the fiscal year 2024. Meanwhile, there have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.
During his campaign, Trump vowed he would once again take a hard-line approach to securing the border.
"It's going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They're good at it," Homan said during a Fox News interview on Sunday, adding that deportations would be a "humane operation."
Trump, during this campaign, referenced illegal migrants as people fleeing countries where they were not wanted. He often said in his rallies that illegal immigrants overwhelmed the U.S. with drugs and gangs, resulting in an increase in smuggling and human trafficking, saying they are "poisoning the blood of our country."
"They're rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums," Trump said. "You know, insane asylums, that's 'Silence of the Lambs' stuff."
As reported by The Daily Wire, Homan previously served in the Trump administration as the acting director of ICE. During his three months in the position, ICE arrested over 41,000 illegal immigrants, a 38 percent increase over the same period from the year before.
Others appointed to Trump's upcoming administration so far include Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff, Rep. Elise Stefanik as Ambassador to the United Nations, Stephen Miller - Deputy Chief of Policy, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.