Border Chief Homan Wants More Deportations
Border czar Tom Homan says the Trump administration is preparing to ramp deportations back up after recent operational slowdowns, while insisting the White House is still carrying out one of the largest immigration enforcement efforts in modern American history.
In an interview published May 20 by the Washington Examiner, Homan acknowledged that deportation numbers have dipped somewhat in recent months following internal disruptions and leadership changes inside the Department of Homeland Security. But he made clear the administration views the slowdown as temporary.
“Numbers are slightly down, but there’s a plan,” Homan said. “To get them back up and even higher.”
Homan added that despite the slowdown, he remains dissatisfied with the current pace of removals.
“Am I happy with the numbers right now? No, I want more, too,” he said. “Even though numbers are historic, I want more.”
According to Homan, the administration has already removed roughly 800,000 illegal immigrants since President Trump returned to office, with a significant portion involving individuals accused of criminal activity.
“If you take 60 percent of that, criminals, hundreds of thousands of public safety threats, have been removed from this country,” Homan said. “Name another president who’s done that.”
The comments come as the administration intensifies pressure on sanctuary jurisdictions while expanding enforcement into other parts of American society, including banking and financial systems.
Homan blamed much of the recent disruption on the Department of Homeland Security shutdown earlier this year, which followed two shootings involving federal agents in Minneapolis. The political fallout triggered weeks of conflict on Capitol Hill as Democrats demanded new restrictions on ICE operations before agreeing to funding.
According to Homan, Democratic lawmakers pushed requirements involving body cameras, officer identification rules, mask restrictions, warrantless arrest limitations, and tighter controls on immigration enforcement patrols.
“Lawmakers got angry,” Homan said. “Everything they threw out was about Minneapolis, about masks, about identifiers, about body cameras, about warrantless arrests, about roving patrols.”
The standoff eventually ended in late April when President Trump signed legislation funding several DHS agencies, including the Coast Guard and Secret Service. However, the legislation notably excluded funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection, leaving key enforcement agencies operating under continued financial pressure.
The administration has also undergone a major leadership change in recent months.
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was replaced by Senator Markwayne Mullin, whose lower-profile management style has contrasted sharply with Noem’s more aggressive public approach. Homan suggested the administration now wants to improve transparency surrounding immigration enforcement data under Mullin’s leadership.
“I just had a meeting this morning,” Homan said. “Secretary Mullin is committed to putting stats out on a more regular basis, which wasn’t being done prior.”
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be sharing that with the American people.”