Trump Endorses Tom Homan as 'Border Czar', Who Vows Mass Deportation of Illegal Immigrants, Including Families

President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday that Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who supported his controversial zero tolerance policy, will be his administration's border czar.

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 Truth Social.

Trump praised Homan, stating there was "nobody better at policing and controlling" the borders and added that he would be "in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin."

Homan, known for his hard-line immigration views, previously vowed to "run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen." He was an early supporter of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which led to thousands of families being separated at the southern border. Trump eventually signed an executive order in 2018 reversing the family separation policy after public outcry.

Unlike cabinet appointments, Trump's "Border Czar" pick will not have to go through a Senate confirmation process.

In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes that aired in October, Homan was asked whether there was a way to carry out mass deportations without separating families. Of course there is. Families can be deported together, he responded.

Homan is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group. He was a contributor to Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership book and is also the president and CEO of Border911, a nonprofit group that warns of the supposed threat posed by undocumented immigrants.

In an interview with Fox News earlier on Sunday, Homan defended Trump's mass deportation plans and said, "It's going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted, led by the men and women of ICE... When we go out there we'll know who we're looking for and most probably where they're going to be and this will be done in a humane manner." Homan also dismissed suggestions that the military would be used for such operations and claimed, "ICE has the highest detention standards in the industry, these people will be well taken care of."

Trump frequently espoused hard-line, anti-migrant views on the campaign trail, at times decrying migrants as "poisoning the blood of our country," "animals," and "gang members," and comparing them to the fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter.

"They're rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums," he said at a rally in March, speaking about migrants who enter the country unlawfully. "You know, insane asylums, that's 'Silence of the Lambs' stuff."

Homan is the latest person Trump has announced will join his administration. Trump had previously announced that Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager, will be the White House chief of staff.