On Thursday, Border Chief Tom Homan discussed the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, stating that approximately 40,000 individuals who were living in the U.S. unlawfully had been detained. He emphasized that many of these individuals posed risks to both public and national security.
During a roundtable event in Sarasota, Florida, organized by Governor Ron DeSantis, Homan defended President Donald Trump’s immigration stance, alongside Chad Wolf from the America First Policy Institute and Richard Corcoran, the President of New College of Florida.
Throughout the conversation, Homan criticized the prior administration for what he described as “rewriting statute” regarding immigration law. He pointed out that under the previous administration, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were instructed not to arrest individuals solely for being in the country illegally.
“We’re gonna enforce immigration law. Unlike the last administration … they told ICE agents, immigration officers, you cannot arrest an illegal alien for simply being here illegally. Here’s the executive branch rewriting statute,” Homan remarked. He also noted that ICE agents were instructed to only arrest illegal immigrants if they had committed a serious crime, a policy Homan described as now being history. “They told ICE officers you can’t enforce the law; unless they’re convicted of a serious crime, you can’t arrest them. Well, that garbage is over with!”
Homan made it clear that his administration’s priority would be to address public safety threats first, but he underscored that being in the U.S. unlawfully remains a crime. “If you’re in a country illegally, you got a problem,” Homan stated. “Now we’re gonna prioritize public safety threats first, and that’s what we’re doing. But it’s not OK to be in this country illegally. It’s against the law. It’s not OK to cross the border illegally.”
Homan also vowed to continue the aggressive deportation of criminals, asserting that his team would not stop their efforts, despite a judicial ruling halting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. “Well, I found it remarkable that any district judge has the authority to overrule the president’s executive orders, and what he basically wanted us to do is turn the planes around in midair full of terrorists and bring them back into the United States, which is ridiculous, and we didn’t do it,” Homan declared. “Now, we turn to litigation.”
Additionally, Homan expressed his belief that the U.S. Supreme Court should resolve the debate over President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship. “I think the Supreme Court finally needs to answer that question. I’m not a lawyer, but I can read,” Homan stated. “And I don’t think it’s clear that an illegal alien who has a child in the country is automatically a U.S. citizen.” He referenced Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
{Matzav.com}

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