President Trump’s border czar suddenly reverses stance after news of mass deportations in woke Democratic cities

President-elect Donald Trump’s hand-picked “border czar” Tom Homan said his administration is reconsidering immigration raids in Chicago and New York after details were leaked in the press.

Homan, a former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the Washington Post that the new administration “hasn’t made a decision yet.”

“We are investigating this breach and will make decisions based on this breach,” Homan said. “This is unfortunate because anyone who leaks law enforcement operations puts police officers at great risk.”

ICE has set its sights on Democratic-run Chicago and New York City as the first targets for mass deportations, with raids scheduled to take place Tuesday morning within 24 hours of Trump’s second inauguration.

The operation will reportedly last for a full week and will involve between 100 and 200 police officers.

News of the raid leaked after the Chicago City Council rejected an effort to allow police to cooperate in immigration enforcement.

“We will protect and protect Chicago’s immigrant communities from the threat posed by ICE,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said after the vote.

Homan then appeared on Fox News and was asked by host Jesse Watters if he was “covering up” by asking about the “mass attack” in Chicago.

‘Or do you want people to know? Maybe they can leave voluntarily,’ Watters said.

“We’re going to see massive attacks across the country, and Chicago is just one of many places,” Homan said. “ICE is finally going to do its job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and get criminal aliens arrested. That’s what’s going to happen.”

Homan told the Post he doesn’t know why Chicago “has become the center of attention,” and said the incoming administration’s enforcement goals are much broader than one city.

“ICE will begin arresting threats to public safety and threats to national security on day one. We will continue to arrest people across the country, unbound by previous administrative guidelines. Why Chicago I don’t know if that was specifically mentioned,” he said.

“This is a national thing. We’re not cleaning up neighborhoods. We have a targeted enforcement plan.”

People familiar with the plans said the attacks are expected to span several days from coast to coast.

“We will conduct operations across the country,” the official told Reuters on Friday. “There’s going to be arrests in New York. There’s going to be arrests in Miami.”

Homan previously told an audience at a Northwest Side Republican holiday party that “Chicago is in trouble because the mayor and the governor are horrible.”

He went on to call both parties “terrible,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times, while urging them to follow New York Mayor Eric Adams and “sit to the table” in talks.

Homan also warned Johnson, who has vowed to oppose the Trump administration’s deportation plan, not to “hinder” his efforts.

“If he doesn’t want to help, then don’t get in his way. If he knowingly harbors or hides illegal aliens, I will prosecute him,” he said.

Homan said he would work to verify the identity of asylum seekers and arrest anyone found to be harboring criminal immigrants.

He reiterated that there were no plans to separate families, but suggested “that could happen.”

“My goal is to enforce the law, but if you put yourself in that position, that might be the case,” he said. “But right now this administration has no plans to separate families.”

“But we’re going to enforce the law. So if you’re put in that position, it’s your responsibility to either take your child home or just stay there.” , you don’t get a pass,” he said, declaring that parents of Dreamers, the children of U.S.-born immigrants, have two options.

Homan and other Trump aides have said they want immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to leave the country, or “voluntarily deport,” out of fear of arrest.

Homan previously criticized the Trump administration’s promotion of immigration raids in 2018. He accused the mayor of Oakland, California, of being “reckless” and “irresponsible” for warning residents of the planned attack.

He noted that since the report was leaked, ICE has arrested 150 people but leaves 864 fugitives unaccounted for.

John Sandweg, who served as acting director of ICE during the Obama administration, said he was surprised to see prior discussions about raids.

“Historically, this is something we have kept very closely secret for officer safety reasons,” he said, adding that fugitives “start hiding.” By telegraphing your coming, you completely undermine the effectiveness of the operation. ”

He also noted that it is unusual for ICE to begin planning raids before new leadership is sworn into office, and that official policy remains under Biden’s control, with a focus on serious criminals rather than illegal aliens. He added that

“That’s incredibly unusual. This is not the kind of policymaking or briefing that you would normally have during a transition period,” Sandweg said. “This is the actual operational plan for the operation that will take place on the first day of the administration. That’s weird.”

Supporters in Chicago said rumors of the raid began circulating on social media on Wednesday, the Post reported. One WhatsApp group said a “reliable source” had confirmed that ICE would patrol the city from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Inauguration Day and “detain people heading to work or home” the next day. I warned you.

“We expected Chicago to be a target, but the message remains the same: be as prepared as you can,” said Erendira Rendón, deputy commissioner for immigration legal affairs at the Resurrection Project.