What you need to know about Thomas Homan, Trump’s new ‘border czar’

President-elect Donald Trump announced Sunday that former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Thomas Homan will be its “border czar” in the new administration.

Who is Homan and what will he probably do?

‘I have known Tom for a long time, and there is no one better at guarding and controlling our borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be responsible for all deportations from Illegal Aliens back to their country of origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long overdue, job,” Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday.

Homan is a former New York State police officer and former Border Patrol agent. He was tapped by the Obama administration to lead ICE enforcement and removal operations and was recognized for his efforts in deporting illegal immigrants.

TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS WHO REJECT TRUMP’S DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘Get the hell out of the way’

President Trump and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan talk during a law enforcement roundtable at the White House on March 20, 2018. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

In a 2016 profile, the Washington Post said of Homan: “Thomas Homan deports people. And he’s really good at it.” But Homan said that was a badge of honor, and he had that story framed in his office.

When Trump was elected in 2016, he appointed Homan acting director of the entire agency, and Homan became one of the key faces of the first Trump administration in its early years and a staunch advocate for wider deportations. President-elect Trump has promised to launch a “historic” mass deportation campaign during his second term.

His involvement in the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, which involved the separation of minors and accompanying adults, made him a lightning rod of controversy for Democrats, some of whom sought to abolish the agency entirely.

Homan repeatedly clashed with top Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., during hearings in the House of Representatives, clashes that went viral and remain regular today shared on social media platforms. In his clash with Ocasio-Cortez, Homan defended the separation of families.

“If I get arrested for driving under the influence and I have a young child in the car, I’m going to get separated,” he said.

“Mr. Homan, with all due respect, legal asylum seekers are not accused of any crime,” AOC said.

‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION

Homan shot back, “If you enter the country illegally, you are violating 8 U.S. Code 1325. … If you want to seek asylum, go through the port of entry and do it the legal way.”

Jayapal, during a clash with Homan at a judiciary subcommittee hearing in 2019, resorted to hitting her gavel when he wouldn’t budge as his time expired.

“I’m a taxpayer, you work for me,” Homan told the outraged Jayapal.

Homan has also been blunt in interviews, and has a reputation for providing clear and direct answers to questions put to him. When asked in a 60 Minutes interview last month how family deportations can happen without family separation, Homan responded, “Families can be deported together.”

On Friday, days before he was announced as border czar, Homan spoke to Fox News Digital about what mass deportations would look like, downplaying some of what he saw as overheated rhetoric from the left.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“It won’t be a massive cleanup of neighborhoods, it won’t be a massive raid. It will be a targeted enforcement operation.” he saidpromising that threats to national security and public safety will be addressed first.

However, he warned that this does not mean anyone is off the table: “If you are in a country illegally, you have a problem.”

He also had a warning to states that pledged to resist deportation efforts.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

‘We have a mandate. I think the American people just gave it President Trump a mandate. That’s why he was elected to secure the border, save lives and deport people, especially when it comes to threats to national security and public safety. So if you’re not going to help us, stand aside, but don’t get in our way because there will be consequences.”