Former Acting Director of U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2019.
Johnathan Ernst | Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump announced late Sunday night that Tom Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 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 in a post to Truth Social.
“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” the post continued. “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.”
Homan is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative group. He was a contributor to Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership book.
NBC News has reached out to The Heritage Foundation with a request for Homan’s comment.
He touts hardline immigration views and previously vowed to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen.”
Trump frequently espoused hardline anti-migrant views on the campaign trail, at times decrying migrants as “poisoning the blood of our country,” “animals,” “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 March rally of migrants who enter the country unlawfully. “You know, insane asylums, that’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’ stuff.”
Homan is the latest person who Trump announced will join his administration. Trump had previously announced that Susie Wiles, his co-campaign manager, will serve as the White House chief of staff.
