CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump’s Border Patrol chief, Tom Homan, told Republican lawmakers that he would not be able to support the incoming administration’s initial deportation operation, citing limited resources, according to people involved in the talks. It is said that he has informally communicated with the government to soften expectations.
President Trump’s allies have launched measures to detain and deport people in the U.S. illegally, but the program relies primarily on resources and funding available to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has historically been underfunded. It’s been running low.
“We’re not talking about 20 million (deportations). We’re talking about order, priorities and expectations,” Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who was present at the meeting with Homan, told CNN. .
The debate is part of a broader level-setting among House Republicans, who are now accepting the challenge of making one of their key campaign promises a reality. Republicans also say most border reform measures are unlikely to be included in Trump’s big agenda bill, given strict rules around the reconciliation process, which require proposals for revenue increases or spending cuts rather than policy changes. We are also grappling with this harsh recognition.
“Many members are only now starting to understand that,” one Republican lawmaker told CNN.
President Trump has vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in history, telling Time magazine in December that by the time he takes office, there will be “probably 15, maybe even 20 million” illegal immigrants in the United States. He said he believed he was deaf.
In a recent meeting with House Republicans, Homan, an immigration enforcement veteran, outlined a phased approach to mass deportations promised by President Trump, according to lawmakers and people involved in the discussions.
Mr. Homan and lawmakers have proposed a plan to use current government funding levels to target 1 million to 2 million undocumented immigrants for deportation as soon as possible, according to people involved in the discussions. It is being formulated. There are currently approximately 1.4 million people in the United States under final immigration removal orders.
“Mr. Homan is telling some members, ‘Hey, if you want me to do the things you’re talking about, this is going to cost money, and you can’t do that with the CR that’s currently in place,'” one Republican lawmaker said. “I was talking about it,” he said. he told CNN, referring to a continuing budget resolution that would only extend the current level of DHS funding.
“President Trump will launch the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug traffickers, and human traffickers in U.S. history, working with all federal authorities and working with state authorities to reduce costs for families. The American people re-elected President Trump by a wide margin. “We have given President Trump a mandate to deliver on the promises he made during his campaign, including deporting criminals and restoring economic greatness. He will deliver,” said a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team. Caroline Leavitt told CNN in a statement.
Another Republican on the committee that oversees the Department of Homeland Security’s budget told CNN that Homan is trying to work as quickly as the system’s limitations allow.
“His message is not some code word like, ‘Nothing is going to happen,’ or ‘We’re going to slow down.’ But this is just a responsible policy approach to get things done quickly. It’s also the context of a realistic assessment of how to most effectively implement that and fulfill the promises that the incoming administration has made,” Republican Rep. Mark Amodei told CNN.
Mr. Homan has repeatedly emphasized that he remains focused on public safety and national security threats, but he has also said that people who are in the U.S. illegally but do not pose a threat to security are subject to deportation. I haven’t ruled out the possibility.
Homan said in an interview with CNN’s Caitlan Collins that a minimum of 100,000 beds are needed to hold illegal immigrants, more than double the 40,000 beds ICE currently funds, and more. ICE officers will be needed, he said. The agency has approximately 6,000 immigration officers.
“It all depends on the money we get from The Hill,” Homan told CNN’s “The Source.” He did not say how many illegal immigrants he wants to deport by the end of President Trump’s next four years in office.
Some Republican lawmakers told CNN they had received messages about the funding.
“He’s going to need the money right now,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs told CNN.
But many lawmakers acknowledge it will be extremely difficult for Mr. Homan to obtain the funding he needs for his unprecedented deportation effort.
Republicans are seeking deep cuts to government spending across the board, but all parties acknowledge that increasing deportations would cost significantly more than the government is currently allocating.
The American Immigration Council initially estimated that deporting one million people a year would cost about $88 billion a year, or $960 billion over 10 years. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 271,484 immigrants last fiscal year under President Joe Biden, marking the highest level of deportations since 2014, according to the annual report. Former President Barack Obama deported about 400,000 people in one year, many of whom had recently crossed the border. President Trump faces a tougher challenge by targeting people already in the country.
But with the next federal funding deadline just two months away, House appropriations leaders told CNN they haven’t even been given the key numbers to start working, and that He told CNN that the ability to plan how to expand funding for the United States has become extremely difficult.
“There may be some private discussions going on, but no one is talking publicly about March 14th at the moment. And it will happen soon. Just two months away. We need to fund this government,” Rep. Steve Womack, the House Republican’s top appropriations manager, told CNN. “It would be unacceptable for us to blame ourselves for our inaction because time was up.”
“Deportation will cost a lot of money,” Biggs told CNN. “But guess what? You’ll save money, too. And it’ll be a net profit.”
But despite all the pitfalls ahead, Republicans know they have to start somewhere, and if deportations begin under the Trump administration, undocumented immigrants could be voluntarily deported. is claimed to be very high. There is also recognition that the executive orders expected by President Trump will go a long way toward addressing deportations, closing borders, and starting the process of overhauling the immigration system. Republicans also say there is a serious need to address ICE staffing and ensure there are enough detention beds.
A group of Republicans is planning to visit Mar-a-Lago this weekend to meet directly with President Trump, seeking direction and a frank discussion about what’s to come.
Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, one of a group scheduled to meet with President Trump this weekend, said President Trump may be aware of the challenges ahead, but that won’t stop him from aiming higher. He said it was not.
“He said, ‘I understand the complexities. Get through them. Make it happen. I want it done yesterday,'” Higgins said of Trump’s thinking.
