Trump rehires Tom Homan, father of family separation policy, as border czar
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Donald Trump has brought back the contentious immigration official Tom Homan, who played a significant role in developing the "zero tolerance" policy that led to family separations during his previous time in office.
The strict immigration advocate was the interim head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2017 to 2018.
The president-elect posted on his Truth Social account late last night, stating that Homan would oversee "the Southern Border, the Northern Border, as well as all maritime and aviation security."
Homan will participate in Trump's ambitious plan to execute the "largest deportation operation in American history." This effort will involve federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, utilizing a 1798 law that was previously invoked for the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
As part of the separation initiative, immigration authorities moved away from the traditional approach of keeping families together and avoiding detention. Instead, they began sending parents to immigration court for removal hearings while placing the children in the custody of a different agency.
Immigration violations are classified as civil matters rather than criminal ones. Many families initially applied for asylum, but they quickly found themselves facing expedited removal from the country.
The policy caused the separation of at least 5,000 families, with many of them separated for good, as parents were deported to other countries and the Trump administration initially refused to monitor their locations. As of this May, around 1,400 families were still not reunited.
Trump has been keen to reintroduce Homan, who has contributed to Project 2025, into his circle. During a radio interview while campaigning, he stated, “He’s joining us.”
At a conference in July, Homan confidently declared, "They haven't seen anything yet... Just wait for 2025."
In a recent interview with '60 Minutes,' when questioned about the possibility of returning to family separations as part of that operation, Homan indicated that it should definitely be taken into account.
Homan clarified that the parent came into the country without proper legal authorization and went on to have a child while fully aware of their illegal status. "This is how the situation was created," he stated.
The Atlantic reports that Homan might have been the first government official to genuinely suggest the idea of deliberately separating families in 2014. However, his proposal was quickly rejected by other officials, who considered it “cruel and unfeasible” due to the ethical and practical challenges involved in tearing children away from their parents.
The idea eventually gained traction with Trump, who began his 2016 campaign by portraying Mexican immigrants as criminals involved in drugs and violence. He made immigration enforcement a central focus of his platform.
Homan expressed to The Atlantic that his proposal for family separation came about after observing the disturbing effects of trafficking and violence at the border.
"The intention wasn't to cause trauma," he explained to the magazine. "The aim was to put an end to the chaos, to prevent deaths, to stop the violence against women, to save children from dying, and to halt the actions of the cartels."
Since that time, he has adopted a more aggressive attitude.
"I'm fed up with all the talk about family separation," Homan stated during a conference last year. "I’m still facing lawsuits related to that issue."
"I really don’t care, honestly. What matters is that we upheld the law."
After leaving the Trump administration, Homan has become a regular presence on Fox News, where he refers to immigration as an “invasion.” States along the southern border, particularly Texas, are advocating for the classification of immigration as an “invasion” in order to gain more military-like authority for border enforcement. However, experts have informed The Independent that this perspective is not supported by legal principles.
Homan was also part of a team of border specialists known as Border911, which has toured the nation advocating the controversial belief—that some critics claim is rooted in racism—that Democrats are deliberately fostering illegal immigration to gain political influence.
Border911 has supported measures such as Proposition 314 in Arizona, which was approved this year. This legislation enables state and local authorities to take on roles typically reserved for federal immigration officials.
The Texas Observer reports that this group used to be associated with the America Project, which was established by Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com, and Michael Flynn, who served as Trump’s national security adviser but has since become controversial due to his support for QAnon and election denial.
Individuals connected to the border organization run their own businesses that obtain government contracts and offer advice on immigration matters. They may benefit from a new administration that supports strict immigration policies.
The Biden administration did oversee a significant number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of 2023, setting new records. However, those numbers have since dropped to less than half of what they were at their highest point during Trump's presidency.
