President-elect Donald Trump’s border enforcer Tom Homan is holding illegal immigrants accountable for their attempt to abuse the system as it was transformed by the Biden administration, which has allowed them to stay in the United States illegally for years. The Washington Post reports Homan shared more details on the Trump administration’s plans for dealing with the most sensitive issues of addressing illegal immigration, including what to do with children involved in illegal immigration matters.
Homan, whose career in the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spans 34 years, said it is possible to handle the situation humanely and appropriately.
“We need to show the American people we can do this and not be inhumane about it,” he said. “We can’t lose the faith of the American people.”
The deportations will target criminals, Homan reiterated, sticking to his and the Trump administration’s vow to make America safe for all once again. While National Guard troops can assist and support deportation operations, arrests will only be made by trained law enforcement officers. The military is not going to be doing “sweeps” in neighborhoods, Homan clarified. The top priority right now is to remove criminal illegal immigrants from America and send them back to their home countries.
Also at the top of Homan’s and the Trump administration’s list is locating the more than 300,000 missing children and teenagers whose whereabouts are unknown. Legal experts have shared that the young migrants and their guardians have stopped responding to government caseworkers. The circumstances have raised serious concerns about how many children may have fallen into the hands of human traffickers operating within the United States.
While Homan said that some may children may in fact be with their families, he expects others will be found in the custody of criminals. Homan has previously vowed to rescue the children who are currently being held in forced labor or under the control of sex traffickers.
Regarding parents who do not have United States citizenship, but whose children do, Homan said that they will be held accountable for not complying with the law.
According to The Washington Post, Homan suggested that “parents who have migrated illegally to the United States, sent for their children and then reclaimed them from U.S. government custody should be placed in deportation proceedings.”
“I’m not saying take them into custody,” he said. “We’ll let them get the child and put them in proceedings with the child, so they can go to court and plead their case as a family.”
If parents who are illegal immigrants have U.S.-born children, they as a family can determine if they stay together or split up. Illegal immigrants can pursue citizenship legally after proper re-entry.
The Trump administration is also planning to bring back the “Remain in Mexico” policy which required asylum seekers to wait outside of the United States as their claims were being considered in U.S. courts. Biden ended that program and illegal border crossings surged once he did, giving easy entry for criminal illegal immigrants who have spiked fears and brought tragedy to numerous U.S. cities.
The Washington Post reports, “Homan will not be directing ICE operations as part of his White House role. But he will work closely on border and immigration issues with Kristi L. Noem, now governor of South Dakota and Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE.”
