Trump’s Border Czar Predicts ‘Collateral Arrests’ in Mass Deportation Strategy

December 18, 2024 TruthUSA

“We will commence operations nationwide on the same day” that Trump is inaugurated, Homan stated.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan indicated that the upcoming administration’s deportation initiatives will result in “collateral arrests.”

In a recent interview, Tom Homan, the former acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), warned that undocumented immigrants without any other criminal accusations can expect to be apprehended and deported.

“In sanctuary cities, anticipate many collateral arrests,” Homan told the Washington Examiner in an article dated December 18. “These won’t be priority criminal arrests. We are unable to put the bad actors behind bars. This means we have to venture into communities to locate them, and in the process, there may be others detained. We expect many collateral arrests.”

Collateral arrests refer to individuals taken into custody during ICE enforcement operations, regardless of whether they were the intended targets of those operations. In sanctuary jurisdictions, local jails frequently prevent the transfer of criminal undocumented immigrants to ICE, compelling the agency to locate these offenders in the broader community after their release.

Homan and other Trump administration officials have asserted that they will prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes or pose national security threats. However, they have also committed to deporting anyone living in the country illegally. Trump has suggested he might allow so-called Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children—to remain under specific conditions.

The deportation process and immigration enforcement will commence on the first day of Trump’s administration, January 20, 2025, according to Homan. Officials are already strategizing on ways to enhance deportation efforts.

“We will commence operations nationwide on the same day” that Trump takes office, Homan relayed to the outlet. Approximately 24 ICE offices “serve two or three states,” and “every field office will be instructed to actively pursue, arrest, detain, and remove those in the U.S. who have been arrested for a crime,” he elaborated.

Homan further expressed his desire to acquire U.S. military aircraft to assist in the operation, stating they would act as a “force multiplier” in the deportation campaign.

According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, around 11 million undocumented immigrants were residing in the United States as of 2022, the most recent data available. Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump promised to implement the “largest deportation effort in our country’s history” and suggested utilizing the National Guard and local police forces in this initiative.

Some states governed by Democrats and several sanctuary cities have already indicated they would oppose such actions. The California Legislature has convened a special session to attempt to protect residents from potential new policies, including increasing legal support for undocumented immigrants facing deportation.

Last month, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston expressed his intention to instruct the city’s police department to resist ICE operations within city limits, telling a local news source that he would consider getting arrested to uphold this stance.

“Rather than having DPD stationed at the county line to block them, you would see 50,000 Denver residents there,” Johnston stated. “It would be reminiscent of a Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? Those Highland moms who came out for the migrants would be there. You do not want to mess with them.”

Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who also navigates a Republican-led Legislature, noted that undocumented immigrants “are a vital part of our economy,” particularly in agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

“Efforts to expel them from the country are irrational,” Evers claimed. “We will do everything possible to prevent that.”

In contrast, Trump and his supporters argue that undocumented immigrants burden the U.S. economy, contributing to rising housing costs, inflation, and taking jobs from American citizens and legal residents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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