Who is Tom Homan? Trump picks his former acting ICE director as his "border czar"

On November 10, President-elect Donald Trump announced Tom Homan as the border czar of his upcoming administration. Homan previously served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the President-elect's first term from January 2017 to June 2018.

In a Truth Social post, the former president stated:

“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."

The Republican leader added:

"I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for job."

Thomas Douglas Homan served as ICE's acting director for a brief period between January 2017 and June 2018. During his tenure, he backed Trump's controversial "zero tolerance" policy that led to several family separations at the southern border.

Currently, Homan serves as the CEO of Border911, a non-profit organization that makes people aware of the alleged threat posed by undocumented immigrants. He is also one of the contributors to Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership book and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump emphasized his commitment to immigration policy, vowing to deport illegal immigrants from the United States. Homan's appointment is crucial for the president-elect's promises, as he is set to act as the border czar of his administration.

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"Families can be deported together"— Tom Homan spoke about Trump's immigration policy in October 2024

In an interview with CBS on 60 Minutes published on October 27, Tom Homan was asked if mass deportations could be carried out without separating thousands of families. In response, Homan said:

"Of course there is. Families can be deported together."

Speaking further about the immigration policies Trump plans to implement, Homan explained:

"I hear a lot of people say, you know, the talk of a mass deportation is racist. It's-- it's-- it's threatening to immigrant community. It's not threatening to the immigrant community. It should be threatening to the illegal immigrant community. But on the heels of [a] historic illegal immigration crisis. That has to be done."

He added:

"It's not gonna be-- a mass sweep of neighborhoods. It's not gonna be building concentration camps. I've read it all. It's ridiculous."

Tom Homan further explained that the operations would be targeted. The former acting ICE director had addressed similar issues at the Republican National Convention in July, ahead of Trump's election. Homan stated that it was time for the "illegal aliens" who Joe Biden brought into the United States "in violation of federal law" to pack their bags now.

During Trump's first presidency, Tom Homan was the face of his administration's aggressive immigration policy before retiring in 2018. During his service, Homan often spoke at the Congress about his agents' arrest of alleged illegal immigrants, stating that they "should be afraid."

In September 2017, Homan publicly stated that his agents would arrest undocumented people who came forward to care for their children. His statements came after a record number of immigrant children were placed into custody, as reported by CNN.

In a Sunday (November 10) interview with Fox News, Tom Homan clarified that the deportations would be a "humane operation" and "a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE."

During his election campaign, Donald Trump has made his stance clear on illegal immigration. In a March 2024 rally, the former president compared illegal immigrants to the fictional character Hannibal Lecter from the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. The Republican leader said:

“They’re rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums. You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff."

Ahead of Homan's appointment, the former President also named his co-campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as the White House chief of staff.