Border Czar Says U.S. Military Stepping Up Migrant Deportation Support

President Donald Trump’s "border czar" shared updates on the administration’s large-scale deportation operations during a Thursday evening appearance on Fox News. He highlighted the increasing support from the Pentagon, which has exceeded initial expectations.
Tom Homan, speaking with host Will Cain, explained that the Department of Defense is now offering additional air transportation assistance. This initiative not only allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to focus on apprehending criminal aliens but also helps alleviate budgetary pressures on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Cain addressed the issue, stating, “You have been offered the assistance of the United States military for airlift support,” and noted that the Air Force would be supplying four aircraft capable of deporting up to 5,000 illegal migrants. He then asked Homan about the importance of this military assistance.
“Absolutely necessary,” Homan replied. “We have limited funding right now, so anything DoD can step in and do is a force multiplier. Whatever DoD does, whether it’s building infrastructure, whether it’s flying planes, doing transportation, that means an ICE badge and gun is not stuck with those types of duties and is actually on the street looking for the bad guy.”
He continued, “This was in the plans for a while. We made this happen in a matter of three days. So yeah, they’re welcome.”
WATCH:
Tom Homan tells Will Cain that the US Air Force will supply aircraft to increase deportations to 5,000 aliens, a 10x jump from the current 500pic.twitter.com/4CLdhpZwAb
— Martin Walsh (@martinwalsh__) January 24, 2025
Earlier this month, Homan visited Chicago—a Democrat-led city whose mayor has opposed the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives—where he announced that deportation operations would begin “on day one.”
“All that starts January 21st, and we’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois. If your Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside. But if he impedes us—if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien—I will prosecute him,” Homan declared, issuing a stern warning to Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson.
He also criticized the state’s Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, in his remarks.
“Chicago is in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks. January 21st, you’re going to look for a lot of ICE agents in your city, looking for criminals and gang members,” Homan said, indicating that deportations would commence the day after the president-elect’s inauguration.
During another interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Homan provided further details on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement plans, asserting that ICE would "finally" be allowed to execute its mandate of deporting millions of undocumented individuals.
Watters questioned Homan about rumors of a “big raid all across the country.”
Homan reaffirmed the plans, stating that deportations would begin immediately, with ICE now empowered to enforce immigration laws “without apology.”
“ICE is finally going to go out and do their job,” he said. “We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens.”
Watters followed up, jokingly asking, “Am I blowing your cover when I announce that there’s going to be a big raid in Chicago on Tuesday? Or do you want people to know maybe they can self-deport?”
Homan responded, “There’s going to be a big raid all across the country. Chicago is just one of many places. We’ve got 24 field offices across the country. On Tuesday, you’re going to expect ICE—ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. That’s what’s going to happen.”
Watters then asked about ICE operations during the Biden administration.
“They haven’t been able to do much because Secretary Mayorkas had new ICE priorities,” Homan said. “Get this: the secretary of Homeland Security has told ICE you can’t arrest an illegal alien if he’s just here illegally. He’s got to be convicted of a serious crime or be a national security threat. He told immigration officers not to enforce immigration law.”