Trump's mass deportation plan under Tom Homan might face roadblock

Tom Homan

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Billal Rahman

By Billal Rahman

Immigration Reporter

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As President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plan takes shape, the appointment of Tom Homan as "border czar" may be facing significant obstacles.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has raised concerns over whether Homan has the authority to carry out the ambitious operation, potentially putting a roadblock in the way of the controversial initiative.

Pritzker told Politico that he was willing to work with Trump's new border czar; however, he cast doubts on whether Homan had the "authority" to do everything he said.

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"Being a border czar is not an official position in the government, and it will be up to the President of the United States and up to the leaders of the Customs and Border Patrol to make decisions about how we'll manage the border," Pritzker said.

At a gathering of Illinois Republicans, Homan said Chicago would be the site of "the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen."

Tom Homan

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Pritzker slammed Homan over deploying political rhetoric on matters concerning federal immigration policy.

The governor said Homan should be "serving Democrats and Republicans. If you take a position in the executive branch, you serve all of the people of the United States."

Pritzker added that "violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported."

Homan, who visited Chicago on Monday, said both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson "suck" for their remarks about not cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on mass deportations.

Illinois is a sanctuary state, and Chicago is a sanctuary city, which means there is legislation in place that prevents local law enforcement from working with immigration enforcement officials.

A sanctuary state or sanctuary city is a jurisdiction (a state, city, or other local government) that adopts policies designed to limit its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. These policies are intended to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and foster trust between immigrant communities and local governments or law enforcement.

Pritzker, who has been vocal in his opposition to mass deportations, also rejected the idea of deploying the National Guard to support the operation, calling such an action "un-American."

"I do not believe that we should be pitting one state's National Guard against another state," he said.

Reacting to Pritzker's comments, Tennessee Republican Representative Mark Green, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, told Newsweek that the governor's words were more "smoke and mirrors" from a sanctuary state.

"The simple fact is that President Trump and his administration are going to ensure that our long-standing immigration laws, which have been on the books for decades, are enforced," he said in a statement.

"State and local officials who choose to resist lawful and necessary enforcement are working against the rule of law and the interests of their own citizens—no matter what semantic games they choose to play."

What Can a Border Czar Do?

In the United States, the term "border czar" is an informal title used to describe an official who is tasked with overseeing policies related to border security and immigration.

While it is not an official position and does not come with specific statutory powers, a "border czar" often holds significant influence depending on their formal role within the government. The powers and responsibilities of a "border czar" typically depend on their specific position and the authority delegated to them.

The actual influence of a border czar depends significantly on the administration's priorities, the scope of their mandate, and the resources allocated to their initiatives.