Trump’s Border Czar: No Plans to Deport U.S. Citizens Despite Earlier Remarks
By Jake Beardslee ·
November 20, 2024
Former ICE Director Tom Homan, who is positioned to lead immigration enforcement under Trump's potential second term, appears to be modifying his stance on deportation policies, particularly regarding U.S. citizens. U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Wikimedia
During a Tuesday Fox News segment, host Jesse Watters challenged the former ICE director about viral claims regarding medical professionals, asking: "Are you going to deport doctors? They're saying that there's going to be migrant doctors in the middle of surgery, and ICE is just going to be dragging them out in their scrubs. Have you heard of that happening?" Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia
Homan explicitly denied intentions to deport U.S. citizens or disrupt medical professionals during procedures. "I have never heard of that happening. I heard the other day that we're going to deport U.S. citizens, too. I heard that one," Homan stated on Jesse Watters' program. Jack Gruber/USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
However, his earlier statements on 60 Minutes suggested a harder line regarding families with mixed immigration status. When questioned about separating American citizen children from undocumented parents, Homan stated, "Because their parent absolutely entered the country illegally, had a child knowing he was in the country illegally. So he created that crisis." Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
The American Civil Liberties Union characterized the proposal as "an attempt to tear down one of the core constitutional protections that has been a key part of our country." Tobias Frere-Jones / Wikimedia
In Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu affirmed her city's stance against expanded deportation measures during a Sunday appearance on WCVB's On the Record, stating that the city would not be "cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having a large-scale economic impact." Joshua Qualls (Governor's Press Office) / Wikimedia
In May 2023, the Trump campaign's official X (formerly Twitter) account, @TrumpWarRoom, shared a provocative video highlighting "President Trump's plan to discourage illegal immigration by ENDING automatic citizenship for the children of illegal aliens." @TrumpWarRoom / X
In the clip, Trump declared, "The United States is among the only countries in the world that says that even if neither parent is a citizen or even lawfully in the country, their future children are automatic citizens the moment the parents trespass onto our soil." @TrumpWarRoom / X
