Donald Trump’s border czar says he is in talks with third-party nations to take deported migrants_Nhy
Donald Trump‘s incoming border czar Tom Homan signaled Sunday that he is close to finding a nation that will take deported migrants whose home country will not accept them.
The scheme is a key part of Trump’s plan for what he calls the ‘largest deportation in history.
But it comes with a snag. What to do with illegal immigrants from countries that don’t want them back?
Homan told DailyMail.com that he is already in negotiations to find an alternative destination in countries that are prepared to house them.
‘I’m not waiting for January 20 [when Trump is inaugurated], said Homan. ‘We are already having discussions. So we’ll find a third country.
‘Until they’ve signed an agreement, and we’ve got that, I’m not going to take any credit.’
The idea has floated around Washington, D.C., for months, inspired in part by the way the United Kingdom struck a deal with the small African nation of Rwanda to house refugees.
However, that scheme was hindered by round after round of legal challenge and finally abandoned by the new Labour government of Keir Starmer this year.
Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan spoke to donors on Sunday evening, and told DailyMail.com he is in talks to find countries that will take deported migrants
Trump has promised the biggest deportation in history when he takes office on January 20. Migrants from Ecuador and India sit together by a fire while waiting to beapprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. on January 05, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona
And a Trump effort in 2019 to send migrants from third countries was challenged by The American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant rights groups, which said sending vulnerable people to unfamiliar countries put them at risk.
Homan declined to discuss which countries he was in talks with.
But previous reports suggested Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada were possible destinations.
The Bahamas has since ruled out the idea. But Guatemala may provide an alternative after an official told Reuters the country might be open to the idea.
Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the cornerstone of his reelection campaign.
And Homan, a former police officer and the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, will have a key role.
He said Trump had given him three priorities: Securing the border; launching a deportation drive; and hunting down what he said were 300,000 undocumented children who had gone missing in the U.S.
‘Everything changes on January 20,’ said Homan, during a roundtable with donors and supporters in Naples, Florida.
Tackling illegal immigration was a key part of Trump’s campaign, making Homan one of his most important picks in the administration
He admitted that it would be hard to scale up a deportation operation rapidly.
‘We have limited facilities, but we’re gonna do everything we can with what we have,’ he said. ‘I’m hoping Congress acts quickly on a budget.’
He said $86 billion, a figure suggested in Congress, was a good starting point to begin to fund the beds and operational costs needed.
‘Say someone in is illegal. Let’s say he’s a criminal. He’s convicted of murder, originally from El Salvador,’ he said.
‘I can’t put him on an airplane on day one. You gotta detain him long enough to get travel documents, get landing rights. El Salvador has to admit that it’s their national.
‘That takes a few days to a few weeks. So I need beds.’
With beds occupied for about 30 days at a time, he said he needed thousands more.
‘That’s why every interview I do I said I gotta have the money from Congress,’ he said.
‘I think Congress got a strong message in November. American people want this to happen, so make it happen. Give us the money we need.
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Trump’s border czar plans weekly White House briefings to announce arrests and deportations crackdown
The man who will take charge of Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants wants to hold weekly White House briefings on arrests and deportations.
Tom Homan, who will become border czar when Trump is sworn into office on January 20, said Sunday evening that he planned to enforce the law ‘without apology,’
Trump has tasked him with sealing the southern border, launching a massive deportation program and tracking down what he claims are 300,000 missing undocumented children.
Homan told a roundtable of donors in Naples, Florida, that he had no intention of worrying about negative headlines, but would ensure American voters had regular updates on the pace of deportations.
‘We need to be very transparent,’ he said.
‘There needs to be a weekly White House press briefing on exactly who we’re arresting and who we’re saving, who we are putting in jail, who we are deporting, so the American people know we’re true to our word.’
In a recent J.L. Partners poll for DailyMail.com, voters said the border crisis was the second most important factor in how they cast their ballot. Inflation was the only issue that topped it.
That makes Homan, a former police officer and the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, a key figure in the incoming administration.
Tom Homan, a former police officer and the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, will be a key figure in the incoming administration
He wants to hold a weekly White House briefing to keep Americans up to speed with his deportation plan. Journalists are seen here in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
Trump has promised the biggest deportation in history when he takes office on January 20. Migrants from Ecuador and India sit together by a fire while waiting to be apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. on January 05, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona
‘Everything changes on January 20,’ he said, during the fundraiser for a new Young Republicans Club in Naples.
Trump’s transition team has been tightlipped on whether it will hold daily news briefings at the White House.
Some insiders suggest they could be held less frequently but with key figures from the administration, rather than the press secretary.
The Trump transition did not respond to a request for comment on any plans for deportation briefings.
Homan said he had been on the road non-stop since being named to the new position, and his previous job as Fox News commentator would make him a natural to present updates to the media.
He promised to end catch-and-release, whereby asylum seekers are immediately set free pending a court appearance because there are no facilities to house or process them, on day one of the administration.
‘It will be sad. It would be controversial, it will be emotional. It always is,’ he said.
‘And what the media is going to do … the first crying woman, the first crying child will be news and my picture will be splashed everywhere as the devil.
The incoming Trump administration has yet to set out plans for briefings
Tackling illegal immigration was a key part of Trump’s campaign, making Homan one of his most important picks in the administration
‘I’m the “spawn of Satan”, I read the other day.’
‘Say what you want. I don’t give a s***. We’ll do this in the most humane way. We’re going to enforce the law without apology.’
The scheme is a key part of Trump’s plan for what he calls the ‘largest deportation in history.
But it comes with a snag. What to do with illegal immigrants from countries that don’t want them back?
Homan told DailyMail.com that he is already in negotiations to find an alternative destination in countries that are prepared to house them.
‘I’m not waiting for January 20 [when Trump is inaugurated], said Homan. ‘We are already having discussions. So we’ll find a third country.
‘Until they’ve signed an agreement, and we’ve got that, I’m not going to take any credit.’
The idea has floated around Washington, D.C., for months, inspired in part by the way the United Kingdom struck a deal with the small African nation of Rwanda to house refugees.
Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan spoke to donors on Sunday evening, and told DailyMail.com he is in talks to find countries that will take deported migrants
J.L. Partners gave 1006 voters a list of policy topics and asked: Which issue was personally most important to you in deciding your vote for president
However, that scheme was hindered by round after round of legal challenge and finally abandoned by the new Labour government of Keir Starmer this year.
And a Trump effort in 2019 to send migrants to third countries was challenged by The American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant rights groups, which said sending vulnerable people to unfamiliar countries put them at risk.
Homan declined to discuss which countries he was in talks with.
But previous reports suggested Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada were possible destinations.
The Bahamas has since ruled out the idea. But Guatemala may provide an alternative after an official told Reuters the country might be open to the idea.
Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the cornerstone of his reelection campaign.
And Homan said Trump had given him three priorities: Securing the border; launching a deportation drive; and hunting down what he said were 300,000 undocumented children who had gone missing in the U.S.
He admitted that it would be hard to scale up a deportation operation rapidly.
‘We have limited facilities, but we’re gonna do everything we can with what we have,’ he said. ‘I’m hoping Congress acts quickly on a budget.’
He said $86 billion, a figure suggested in Congress, was a good starting point to begin to fund the beds and operational costs needed.
‘Say someone in is illegal. Let’s say he’s a criminal. He’s convicted of murder, originally from El Salvador,’ he said.
‘I can’t put him on an airplane on day one. You gotta detain him long enough to get travel documents, get landing rights. El Salvador has to admit that it’s their national.
‘That takes a few days to a few weeks. So I need beds.’
Which beds occupied for about 30 days at a time, he said he needed thousands more.
‘That’s why every interview I do I said I gotta have the money from Congress,’ he said.
‘I think Congress got a strong message in November. American people want this to happen, so make it happen. Give us the money we need.
