Border czar Tom Homan doubled down Sunday on ABC News after host Martha Raddatz twice questioned whether the Trump administration would be deporting millions of illegal migrants.
Within President Donald Trump’s first week in office, troops were sent to the U.S. southern border to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Border Patrol operations, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducting raids to arrest illegal migrants. On ABC News’ “This Week,” Raddatz asked the border czar if the arrests were something Americans would “see every single day,” as Trump had promised during his campaign to carry out the largest mass deportation.
“Yes, but you can see the numbers steadily increase, the number of arrests nationwide as we open up the aperture. Right now it’s concentrating on public safety threats, national security threats, that’s a smaller population,” Homan said.
“So we’re going to do this on a priority basis, as President Trump has promised, but as that aperture opens, there will be more arrests nationwide,” Homan added.
Video footage aired on Fox News Thursday showed ICE agents conducting raids, including one in Boston, Massachusetts, where a Haitian migrant was arrested. The migrant was seen yelling to the camera to praise former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama before claiming he wouldn’t return to Haiti. While the individual’s name was not released, Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that the Haitian migrant is a gang member with 17 criminal convictions in recent years.
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With the reversal of Biden’s policies, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman noted Tuesday that ICE agents will be able to arrest “criminal aliens,” including rapists and murderers. Raddatz pressed Homan again, asking if he would seek to arrest illegal migrants who haven’t been “convicted or arrested in the past.”
“If you’re in a country illegally, you’re on the table, because it’s not okay to violate laws of this country,” Homan responded. “You’ve got to remember, every time you enter this country illegally, you’ve violated a crime under Title 8, United States Code 1325, it’s a crime.”
“So if you’re in a country illegally, you’ve got a problem. That’s why I’m hoping those who are in a country illegally, who have not been ordered removed by the federal judge, should leave,” Homan said.
Since his appointment as border czar, Homan has remained firm on fulfilling Trump’s campaign vow to Americans to shut down the border and address the illegal immigration crisis. Under the Biden-Harris administration, Border Patrol recorded high encounters, with over 7 million illegal migrants believed to be in the United States.
However, Democratic lawmakers, officials and others have criticized Trump’s mass deportation plan, wit_h some sanctuary city officials claiming they wouldn’t assist the federal government in its raids. Homan has pushed back, warning that those attempting to aid illegal migrants could face legal repercussions from Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
