The next is the complete transcript of an interview with Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Jan. 5, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Tom Homan. He’ll function Mr. Trump’s border czar and he joins us this morning from Naples, Florida. Good morning to you, sir.
TOM HOMAN: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Deportations are actually at a decade excessive. They had been on the finish of 2024. Almost 300,000 folks deported by the Biden administration. The incoming administration has promised the biggest deportation operation in historical past. What is the quantity? What is the measure of success?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, let’s discuss this administration. What they declare is a big deportation quantity this yr. Truly, for those who drill in- drill into the numbers, about 80% of these numbers had been really Border Patrol arrests that the Enforcement and Elimination Operations of ICE processed and moved again throughout the border. They weren’t inside enforcement arrests. In the event you have a look at the historic variety of unlawful entries the final 4 years, ICE, Immigration Customs Enforcement, has the bottom variety of deportations within the historical past of the company. So that they’re taking part in a numbers recreation. Identical to they play the numbers recreation the variety of folks come throughout the border. So though they declare we obtained the best variety of deportations, have a look at these deportation, who really made these arrests, who really eliminated these folks? It is not ICE.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. It is nonetheless a better quantity than the Trump administration. However I need to ask you, for the incoming Trump administration, what’s- what is the measure? It isn’t deportations on the border. You are saying you’ll measure success by people who find themselves already inside within the nation to deport. That is how you are going to measure it. And what’s that determine?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, once more, let’s get the numbers straight. You say they’re larger than Trump administration. This is not about what number of get deported, as a result of Trump had unlawful border crossings at a forty five yr low. So, after all, removing goes to be decrease. The quantity is what number of had been launched into america that are actually within the nation illegally. Underneath the Biden administration, we now have thousands and thousands of individuals launched in United States who’ve misplaced their hearings, and we now have thousands and thousands of individuals which might be launched in United States regardless of a statute saying that you simply can’t be launched in america with out correct documentation, you shall be detained. So you may evaluate the numbers of deportations beneath Trump versus Biden. However is it- when you may when you think about a forty five yr low in crossings, after all, the variety of deportations’s going to be decrease as a result of we do not have that- that inhabitants to course of and deport.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. Effectively, I am simply attempting to measure success going ahead for day one. Are you able to assist us perceive what the plan is? , quite a lot of industries on this nation rent undocumented employees as a result of they’re low-cost labor. On day one, are you going to restart raids on work websites, on building websites?
TOM HOMAN: The- President Trump has been clear, as I have been clear from day one, the president goes to focus on public security threats and nationwide safety threats. And have you ever heard out of your earlier segments, we now have an enormous nationwide safety challenge on this nation. The Southwest border has change into the most important nationwide safety vulnerability we have seen on this nation. FBI Director Wray agrees with me. We all know there’s folks on this nation who oppose the nationwide safety menace. They’ve arrested a file variety of folks on terrorist watch lists, a 3500% improve in folks on the terrorist watch record being arrested on the border. We obtained over 2 million recognized gotaways. We all know 2 million folks crossed the border, weren’t arrested, weren’t vetted, weren’t fingerprinted. So that you gotta ask your self, why did 2 million folks pay extra to get away? Why did not they pay much less, flip themselves into border patrol, get a free airline ticket to town of their alternative, get a free lodge room, get three meals a day, get free medical care. Why did—
MARGARET BRENNAN: I am- I am not disputing that it’s a hemisphere extensive disaster. We’re speaking about how you are going to take care of it. That is why I am asking you, once you say criminals, does that imply you’ll go into al- already present prisons at native stage and deport people who find themselves in these prisons? Are you going to go to work forces? I imply, how are you aware the place the criminals are, I suppose, is the query? And in the event that they’re working at a piece web site, are you going to point out as much as shock them?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, look, we all know the place lots of the criminals are. ICE- ICE does. They’re nice at this work. We all know the place some are, however they merely have not been capable of go arrest them, as a result of the Secretary Mayorkas priorities, it handcuffed ICE. So we all know the place lots of criminals are, they- they’ve been- been prevented from arresting that we will arrest beginning day one. So far as being in jails and prisons, we might like to work in native jails, however sanctuary cities will not enable us into these jails. It is a lot simpler to arrest a public security menace within the security and safety of a public jail than out on the street, as a result of the officer is safer that manner, the alien’s safer that manner, the neighborhood is safer that manner. However sanctuary cities who proceed to launch public security threats again locally to the immigrant neighborhood, it places that neighborhood at higher threat of crime. And- and- and here is what is going on to occur, once we go to the neighborhood and discover that individual, discover that legal alien, it is most likely going to be with others. Others we’ll need to arrest. So it isn’t secure for the neighborhood, not secure for the officers, not secure for anyone. Allow us to arrest a foul man within the jail cell the place you selected to arrest someone and put him within the jail cell as a result of clearly he is a public security menace.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. What you simply mentioned in there, it sounded such as you had been speaking about collateral arrests. So you are going to goal folks you understand are criminals, but when they occur to be dwelling in a home the place there are different undocumented folks, you are going to sweep them up too. That is what I believe you had been simply saying there. I’m wondering how you are going to parse out a few of these collateral arrests. For instance, will Dreamers be protected? Donald Trump has mentioned he desires to work with Democrats to guard them and provides them standing. That takes a very long time in Congress. What do you do within the meantime? How do you ensure they don’t seem to be caught up in a dragnet?
TOM HOMAN: Look, every- every- each individual ICE arrests, they do what we name fugitive operations spreadsheet. They know precisely who they are going to arrest. They know precisely the place they’re most likely prone to discover them, and so they have lots of info on that arrest. Different folks which might be there that could be unlawful, they’re going to deal with by case-by-case foundation. The concentration- I need to be clear on some public security threats. If extra brokers within the jails means much less brokers within the neighborhood, that is why I am pleading with sanctuary cities, allow us to within the jail to arrest the dangerous man. That manner you are not forcing locally. So- you understand, for those who go to an immigrant neighborhood and ask them, would you relatively have ICE working in your native jails? Would you need them locally? What do you suppose they are going to say? They do not- they do not need bad- dangerous legal aliens of their neighborhoods both. So allow us to work with the jails. Allow us to work with regulation enforcement. Sanctuary cities aren’t secure for this- for the immigrant neighborhood, not secure for our officers.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, in order that’s like, Safe Communities act- sort of- form of motion. However then the place do you ship folks? As a result of a few of these nations, like Venezuela, do not settle for deportations proper now. Mexico’s president indicated her nation is perhaps prepared to obtain non-Mexican migrants who’re deported. How does that work? Does the U.S. pay Mexico to then ship these folks off some place else?
TOM HOMAN: Effectively, initially, we obtained President Trump coming to the Oval Workplace, and he is confirmed throughout his first administration, his- his management on unlawful immigration was a recreation changer, as a result of, for example, El Salvador would not take again MS-13 members once I was the ICE Director. It took President Trump 48 hours to get El Salvador to take again their legal aliens into their prisons. And Mexico did not need to do the Stay in Mexico program. However President Trump was capable of get Stay in Mexico- Stay in Mexico established in Mexico. He was capable of get Mexico put army on the southern and northern border. President Trump’s a robust president. This administration has not pressured these nations to take them again, and we now have what we name third secure nation. We have already got nations speaking about taking again folks from different nations if- if for example, Venezuela do not take their folks again. There’s different methods we are able to do it. There’s different nations be prepared to just accept them. We’re hoping that President Trump will work with Venezuela and like he did with Mexico and El Salvador, and get these nations take them again. If they do not, they’re nonetheless gonna be deported. They’re simply gonna be deported to a distinct nation. We’re not gonna be held up on eradicating public security belief on this nation. We gotta put- we gotta put the security of the American folks first. We have had too many younger girls murdered and raped and burned alive by members of Venezuelan gangs. They must be a precedence beneath this administration. They’re gonna be a precedence beginning day one, and they are going to be deported.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll keep tuned for the small print. Borders czar Tom Homan, thanks to your time. We’ll be again in a second.