Tom Homan Reveals How Many Illegal Aliens Are Actually In The US
On Monday morning, Tom Homan, the White House Border Czar, shared a rough estimate regarding the number of illegal immigrants he believes are currently residing in the United States.
Speaking at an early press briefing, Homan stated he estimates there are "at least 20 million" illegal aliens in the U.S., with approximately "700,000 with criminal charges walking the streets."
"Look, I started in the Border Patrol in 1984. I've been at this for over 40 years. I've worked for six presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan," Homan said. "Every president I ever worked for took border security seriously because you can't have national security if you don't have strong border security. We got to know who's coming in, what's coming in, where it's coming in, why it's coming in, right?"
He emphasized that even under Democratic administrations, border security measures were taken seriously. "Even President Obama and President Clinton took some steps to secure the border because they understood national security was important," he noted. Criticizing the current administration, Homan continued, "Joe Biden was the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured a border on purpose. That's just a fact. We handed the Biden Administration — after President Trump's first administration, we handed the Biden Administration the most secure border in my lifetime and he unsecured it on purpose."
Homan praised the current efforts at the southern border, saying, "Now President Trump and this administration here, the success is unprecedented. We beat Trump's first administration on border success. Border numbers are at historic law. Today, as I'm standing here, we have the most secure border in the history of this nation. And the numbers prove it."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also spoke at the briefing, unveiling a major enforcement effort. She announced that the Trump administration is in "the beginning stages of carrying out the largest deportation campaign in American history."
Highlighting the administration’s focus for the coming week, Leavitt said, "Today we kick off 100-day week with a focus on the president's historic effort to secure our southern border. Later this afternoon, President Trump will sign an executive order on law and order and another executive order on sanctuary cities."
She explained that "The first EO will strengthen and unleash America's law enforcement to pursue criminals and protect innocent citizens. The second EO is centered around protecting American communities from criminal aliens, and it will direct the attorney general and secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws."
Leavitt also noted the rapid pace of executive actions under Trump, stating, "After these are signed, the president will have signed more than 140 executive orders already, rapidly approaching the total number signed by the Biden Administration over the course of four years in office."
Highlighting the scale of the new deportation efforts, she added, "Trump Administration is working 24/7 to successfully arrest and deport these illegal criminals and foreign terrorists from our communities. We are in the beginning stages of carrying out the largest deportation campaign in American history."
Leavitt detailed recent operations, mentioning, "Over this past weekend, it was announced that through Operation Tidalwave, a joint effort between ICE Miami and Florida law enforcement agencies, nearly 800 illegal aliens were arrested during the first four days alone." Among those apprehended were "a Colombian murderer, alleged MS-13 and 18th Street gang members, and a Russian with a red notice for manslaughter."
Additionally, Leavitt spoke about a significant raid: "And on the other side of the country, in the early Sunday morning hours, DoJ and DHS together launched a joint raid of an illegal alien underground nightclub used by Tren de Aragua in Colorado Springs, Colorado. DHS took more than 100 illegal aliens into custody, and many drugs and weapons were also seized."
She concluded by emphasizing the broader plan: "Operation Tidalwave is a preview of what is to come around this country, large-scale operations that employ our state and local enforcement partners to get criminal, illegal aliens off our streets. As always, President Trump and our entire administration are grateful for the courageous law enforcement officers who are putting their lives on the line every single day to protect their fellow Americans and to keep our country safe."