Trump's plan of mass deportations of illegal immigrants out? Border czar lays out plan

Tom Homan, Donald Trump's newly appointed "Border Czar," laid out a sweeping plan to begin mass deportations of undocumented immigrants immediately after Trump is sworn in as president. In a CNN interview, Homan said Wednesday night that plans are underway to deport undocumented immigrants at large scale and that he’ll need funding from Congress to do so.

Tom Homan said he will need a minimum of 100,000 beds to detain undocumented immigrants – more than doubling the 40,000 detention beds ICE is currently funded for – and needs more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to carry out the president-elect’s mass deportation plans.

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When will Trump's deportation plan start?

When asked how soon after inauguration the deportations would start, Homan was direct: “Day one. Day one will be ICE officers across the country out on the streets.”

“It all depends on the funding I get from the Hill,” Homan said on “The Source,” adding that he isn’t yet sure how much additional funding Trump’s administration will seek from the Republican-led House and Senate. He said he would take the help of military for transporting migrants.

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“They’re not going to be out arresting people, but they can be a force multiplier in doing things we need to do that doesn’t require a badge and a gun,” he said.

Homan explained that the initial focus would be on public safety and national security threats, highlighting what he described as a failure of enforcement under the Biden administration. He cited a 74% decrease in the deportation of criminal aliens during Biden’s presidency and pointed to a growing backlog of over 10 million undocumented migrants, many of whom crossed the southern border in recent years.

What will be the total cost of operation?

Tom Homan estimates the total cost of the operation at $86 billion but argues that removing undocumented immigrants will save taxpayer money by reducing federal and state assistance programs for migrants.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump's this move could hurt US more than the Great Recession? What we knowHe noted that initially military will be used for logistics while ICE agents will take the lead on arrests and deportations. The administration also plans to impose economic consequences on countries that refuse to accept deportees, potentially including trade sanctions or a halt in U.S. aid.

The deportation efforts, Homan said, will begin with those he described as public safety and national security risks. He noted that there is no shortage of cases, given the backlog created during the Biden administration, and pledged to “restore order at the border” by ramping up enforcement efforts nationwide.

'We want to arrest people', says Homan

Homan said he is “still working on” the Trump administration’s plan to carry out the president-elect’s deportation promises.

“We’ll be ready to launch the day of the inauguration,” he said.

Homan said Trump’s administration will prioritize deporting criminals, gang members and fugitives.

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He would not specify how many undocumented immigrants he hopes to see deported by the end of Trump’s next four years in office.

“I don’t have a number. We want to arrest as many people as we can that are in the country illegally,” Homan said. “If you’re here illegally, you’re not off the table. It’s a violation of the law; it’s a crime to enter this country illegally.”

Homan said Trump’s deportation plans include removing undocumented parents whose children are United States citizens.

What happens with those children, he said, is “the decision of the parents.”

“Their child can stay and live with a relative, they can stay with the other parent, or they can take them with them. We don’t deport US citizens. But they put themselves in the position; we didn’t,” Homan said. “The bottom line is, having a child in this country does not make you immune from our laws.”

The president-elect announced last month that Homan, a veteran of immigration law enforcement who served under the Obama administration and as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump’s first administration, would be the “border czar” in his incoming White House. Trump said on Truth Social that Homan will be “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.”