Border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday said the process of mass deportations has begun, as the Trump administration appears to be making good on promises to deal with the border crisis and smuggling. illegal immigration.
“No, it started (Immigration and Customs Enforcement teams) are still there as of today,” Homan said on “America's Newsroom.” “We've given them guidance on prioritizing the public safety threats we're looking for. We're working on a target list.”
The administration has promised to launch a “historic” mass-deportation process, and sources told Fox News Digital that arrests are underway. scheduled for “day one.” Some media outlets reported on Friday about the Chicago operation, but Homan said it has been re-examined because of leaks.
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“There was some discussion in Chicago because the special operations plan was released. So we had to look and reevaluate, 'Does this raise officer safety concerns?' And so it is.
As for who will be targeted in the process, Homan said the priority is public safety threats, but has repeatedly said that no one is “off the table” when it comes to in the case of arrest if they are in the US legally.
“Right outside the gate are threats to public safety, those in the country illegally who have been convicted, arrested for serious crimes,” he said. “But let me be clear. Not only public security threats will be arrested, because in sanctuary cities, we are not allowed to get public security threats in jail, which means that we have to go to the neighborhood and find him.
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Thomas Homan speaks at the Conservative National Convention in Washington DC, Monday, July 8, 2024. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Pictures/AFP via Getty Images)
“And if we find him, he might have others. And unlike the last administration, we can't tell ICE officers not to arrest an illegal alien. So if they get, some will get caught. So sanctuary cities will get exactly what they don't want, more agents in their communities and get caught in more deals,” he said.
Homan spoke hours after Fox News reported on two DHS memos, including one that rescinded the 2021 memo on then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – provided an expanded list of “protected areas” where ICE cannot participate in immigration enforcement. It said the policy is designed to ensure that enforcement does not prevent “people's access to essential services or participation in essential activities.”
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Those places include schools, universities, health care facilities, places of worship, “children's hangouts,” community service centers, food banks, religious or community events, and disaster centers. or emergency and relief.
Invitation published on Monday rescinded that guidance and said common sense should be used.
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“Going forward, law enforcement officers should continue to use that intelligence along with a fair amount of common sense,” the new memo said. “However, there is no need for the agency head to create clear rules about where our immigration laws are allowed to be applied.”