Tom Homan, appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s “border czar,” has announced plans to build “family facilities” to detain and deport the influx of migrants who have entered the country illegally in recent years, including those with US-born children.
Homan revealed that tens of thousands of migrant families could be accommodated in “soft-sided” tent structures before their deportation. He emphasized the importance of keeping families together and giving non-citizen parents with American children the choice to stay together or be separated during the deportation process.
Despite the massive deportation operation planned for the beginning of Trump’s second term, Homan stressed the need to handle the situation humanely to maintain the trust of the American people.
He reiterated that those who crossed the border illegally, even if part of family units with US citizens, would not be exempt from the deportations. Homan emphasized personal responsibility, stating, “You knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child. So you put your family in that position.”
Congress will need to allocate sufficient funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out the operation, which Homan anticipates will be larger than previous deportation efforts in US history. The agency may require over 100,000 beds for detentions and at least $86 billion in funding for the operation.
The deportation process will be targeted at individuals with criminal records rather than conducting widespread neighborhood sweeps. Homan emphasized the importance of a focused approach and outlined plans to locate the over 300,000 migrant children who have gone missing after crossing the border.
President Trump is also set to introduce executive actions on Day One to reverse President Biden’s policies, including ending the “humanitarian parole” program, completing the southern border wall, revoking birthright citizenship, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers.
