Veteran immigration official Tom Homan will be in charge of U.S. border security once Donald Trump takes office in January. Renowned for his decades of law enforcement and immigration experience, Homan’s appointment marks a likely return to rigorous immigration enforcement measures in line with Trump’s campaign goal of lowering illegal immigration.
Here is how seasoned former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Homan plans to approach the work ahead.
Who Is Tom Homan, and What Is His Law Enforcement Background?
Tom Homan has worked extensively in border security. Originally a police officer in New York State, he quickly entered the border patrol, a position he regularly proudly refers to. “I was a border patrol agent. Monday, I wore the uniform,” he told Fox & Friends. “I’m happy I wore the uniform; I was the first ICE director rising through the ranks.”
His professional path included a 2013 appointment by former President Barack Obama to lead ICE’s deportation bureau, during which the agency carried out an unprecedented number of deportations. Acknowledging his accomplishments, Homan received the esteemed Presidential Rank Award—the highest distinction in civil service. In early 2017, Trump then named him acting ICE director; he filled this post until 2018.
How Does Homan View Immigration as a National Security Threat?
Homan has been outspoken in his view that immigration seriously compromises American security. According to him, “the biggest national security vulnerability this nation has seen since 9/11, and we have to fix it,” immigration problems at the American border represent.
This attitude fits his comments at the Republican National Convention earlier this year. Directly confronting illegal immigrants, he delivered a clear warning: “You better start packing now.”
What Is Homan's Approach to Deportations, and Will There Be Targeted Arrests?
Homan has shed light on his overall approach, even if he still has to specify precisely how his position as “border tsar” will function. Emphasizing public safety and national security issues, he described a hierarchy of deportation priorities in an October interview with 60 Minutes. According to Homan, this would be followed by focusing on non-criminal immigrants who are in the country illegally, therefore deviating from Biden’s approach.
Under Biden, current policies urge ICE to give severe criminals, national security concerns, and recent border crossers top priority, so safeguarding illegal immigrants without criminal records who have lived in the United States for long stretches. But Homan revealed a reversal of this approach, saying, “It’s not going to be a mass sweep of neighborhoods.” Concentration camps are not going to be built there. I have read through it all. It’s wild. Instead, he said, deportations would be pretty focused. “We’ll know who we’re going to arrest, where we’re most likely to find ’em based on numerous… investigating procedures.”
How Will Homan Approach Past Controversial Policies and Family Separations?
Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy—a hugely divisive tactic that resulted in hundreds of migrant children being split off from their parents—was greatly aided by Homan. While their parents were being prosecuted, children were transported to shelters; this approach resulted in significant criticism and reaction for not including a family reunion strategy.
Homan signed the document starting family separations, although he has said he did so “hoping to save lives” and has since said he would not bring back that policy. He answered that families might be “deported together” instead of being separated when asked whether family deportations would include separation under his leadership.
Will Worksite Enforcement and Mass Immigration Arrests Return?
ICE stopped significant immigration arrests at businesses under Biden, a practice Homan is considering resurrecting. Under Trump’s presidency, these workplace enforcement activities—targeting sectors likely to employ undocumented immigrants—were a trademark of ICE.
Homan defined this enforcement on Fox & Friends: “As far as the people going to push back on deporting, what is the option? You are entitled to pursue Asylum. You’re entitled to see a judge. We do that. But at the end of that due process, we must bring them home should the judge order you to return home.
What Are Homan's Future Plans for Infrastructure, Policing, and Immigration Fees?
Homan has actively developed ultra-conservative policy recommendations and is now a visiting fellow at Project 2025 and a contributor at the Extreme Heritage Foundation. These ideas call for more money for a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, building a more robust border patrol force, and raising immigrant costs.
Trump has separated himself from these particular policy ideas while running, even if his affinity with right-wing immigration aims is evident. Although Homan’s remarks suggest an aim to implement significant structural changes in immigration enforcement, it is unknown whether he will pursue these policies directly.
Conclusion
Given his background of strict immigration policies and declared ambitions, Tom Homan’s leadership will probably bring adjustments that modify the focus of present immigration enforcement. Targeted arrests, updated worksite enforcement, and maybe expanded police infrastructure at the border all indicate a vision of border security that prioritizes strict enforcement.
As Homan frames his role as “border tsar,” the country will watch whether these ideas develop into practical measures under the new Trump administration in the following months.
