The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has chosen veteran Tom Homan, who has served under six presidents and was in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the millionaire's first term, to be his "border czar". It is perhaps the most anticipated and predictable appointment. The rapport between them is well known; Trump had repeatedly stated that he was his favorite and knew the dossier very well. In fact, in 2016 and 2017, he was one of the architects of the infamous family separation, a procedure that separated over 5,000 children from their families before being halted.
Although the role is not yet defined, it carries strong symbolism, as throughout the campaign, Republicans criticized Kamala Harris using the term, saying she was the "czar" and therefore responsible for the alleged lack of control they denounced, illegal entries, and crimes committed across the country. Homan will be in charge of the border with Mexico, Canada, but above all, of the mass deportations that Trump has been announcing and celebrating for months. "I have known Tom for a long time, and there is no one better to monitor and control our borders. He will also be responsible for all deportations of illegal foreigners back to their home countries. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt that he will do a fantastic and long-awaited job," Trump announced on Truth Social, the social network he owns.
The chosen one has wasted no time in making it clear that the strategy will be aggressive, against illegal immigrants but also against "sanctuary cities", which officially limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities to prevent detentions and deportations. "A suggestion: if they are not going to help us, get out of the way because we will do it anyway. If we cannot get help in New York City, maybe we will have to double the number of agents we send to New York City. We will do the job. Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals," Homan said on a Fox program this Monday.
The new czar has always defended the policies of the first term, despite data from April of this year showing that over 1,000 minors had not yet been reunited with their families. "When we act, we will do so in a humane manner. These people will be well taken care of," he said on camera. His thesis, advocated in recent months, is that it will be a "selective, focused" process, not indiscriminate sweeps in immigrant neighborhoods and transports to internment camps before expulsion.
However, organizations working with migrants believe that the prospects for a very personalized approach are slim. Especially after learning that Trump has appointed Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff in the White House and 'number 2' to Susie Wiles. Miller, 39, was a senior advisor to Trump and responsible for speeches during the Republican's first term. He was responsible for shaping the idea of separating migrant children from their families, which only lasted a year due to numerous complaints and investigations, as well as the travel ban from predominantly Muslim countries.
He pulled the strings, convinced the Homeland Security Secretary to push the measure forward, and had some of the president's top advisors vote by a show of hands in meetings where he pressured for all border crossers to be separated from their children while being prosecuted. Looking ahead to the new cycle, he has promised that this time it will be better and faster. "For those passionate about securing our immigration system... the first 100 days of the Trump administration will be pure joy, followed by another four years of the most decisive action imaginable," he recently said in an interview with Axios.
As meetings continue at his Mar-a-Lago residence to design the next government, Trump also announced on Sunday the appointment of Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik as the United States Ambassador to the UN. Stefanik, a close and enthusiastic ally, has no diplomatic, foreign policy, or security experience, and the only thing she has said about the United Nations in her career is that it is an "antisemitic organization" and that the US government should consider a "complete reassessment" of funding if the Palestinian Authority continues to push for revoking Israel's membership.
The ambassadorial position has had a special status since the 1950s when Eisenhower made the appointee a government member. Republican presidents in recent decades, like the two Bushes, removed this status, but Democrats reinstated it. In his first term, Trump chose Nikky Haley, who has since played a leading role in national politics. Challenging the leader in the last primaries and being sidelined in defeat until she apologized. This weekend, Trump specifically wrote that neither she nor his former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, will have a position now.