President-elect Donald Trump’s newly appointed ‘border czar’ Tom Homan is not afraid to engage in a heated debate over some of the administration’s most controversial border policies.
A recently resurfaced viral clip shows Homan and Democratic Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a testy dispute during a 2019 congressional hearing.
Ocasio-Cortez pressed Homan on his role in recommending the separation of illegal immigrants from children as part of a “zero tolerance” approach to border enforcement.
Homan, the former head of ICE, informed him that even American citizens are separated from their children if they commit crimes that could affect them, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or domestic violence.
When Ocasio-Cortez protested that seeking asylum is completely legal, Homan said that illegal border crossers cannot apply for asylum after being caught.
Former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thomas Homan, has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his border czar.
“If you want to apply for asylum, go to a port of entry and do it legally,” Homan said. “The attorney general of the United States has made this clear.”
The announcement of Trump’s decision sparked celebrations among the president-elect’s supporters on social media.
“President Trump just put this man Tom Homan in charge of deportations,” wrote Turning Point conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sharing the clip of Homan’s reaction to Ocasio-Cortez, adding fire emojis.
Other clips of Homan’s October interview with CBS News 60 Minutes have resurfaced.
‘Is there a way to carry out mass deportations without separating families?’ asks journalist Cecilia Vega in the interview.
Tom Homan and elected president Donald Trump on the campaign trail
Former Acting Director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan
‘Of course. Families can be deported together,” Homan responds simply.
Homan also spoke with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday about Trump’s deportation plan, just hours before Trump announced his appointment.
“It will be a well-planned and ICE-led operation…the men and women of ICE do this every day, they are good at it,” he said.
Homan also dismissed fears about “concentration” camps created by the government to deport millions of illegal immigrants.
‘These people will be well taken care of. “It will be a humane operation, but it is a necessary mass deportation operation,” he said.
Less than 24 hours after Trump’s Homan announcement, reports came out that he will appoint top immigration adviser Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy.
It also shows that its administration is Focusing on unprecedented border offensive.
Less than 24 hours after Homan’s announcement, reports emerged that he will name top immigration adviser Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy.
Miller was the architect of Trump’s immigration plan during his first term and will be on the front lines of the president-elect’s plan to carry out the largest mass deportation in history.
Miller has previously said that a second Trump administration would see a tenfold increase in the number of immigrants deported.
The news is triggering Democrats, including CNN pundit Tara Setmayer, who called Miller a “despicable human being” moments after the election was announced.