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Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan has announced that legal immigrants and US citizens have “nothing to fear” under his proposed immigration policies.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Over the weekend, Trump nominated Tom Homan, the former acting director of ICE, to be his border czar. Known for his tough stance on immigration, Homan will be tasked with overseeing border security across the southern and northern borders, maritime, and aviation, as well as leading a major deportation initiative targeting undocumented migrants. During Trump’s first term, Homan spearheaded enforcement policies focused on deterring illegal immigration, including family separations, and is expected to lead one of the largest deportation operations in US history.
What Homan is saying: In an interview with Fox Business, Homan responded to criticism from some on the left who said the immigrant community was at risk due to his appointment. When asked if it was true, Homan said that “US citizens [and] legal immigrants are perfectly safe, for God’s sake.” He continued, “I mean, look … if these people demand due process, they demand the right to claim asylum, they demand the right [to see a judge], and we give them to ’em at taxpayer cost, at the end of that due process, if [a] federal judge [says] ‘You must go home,’ they have to go home. If they don’t, then what the hell are we doing?”
Getting into some numbers: Estimates from independent research organizations indicate that deporting the approximate 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the US could cost between $100 billion and $300 billion over a 20-year period. These costs would cover a range of expenses, including identifying, apprehending, detaining, processing, and physically removing individuals. Additionally, there would be logistical costs related to judicial proceedings, transportation, and border security reinforcements.
Homan hasn’t downplayed these reported costs but argues that you can’t put a price on US national security.
