Any brief illusion that the Trump administration might tone down its immigration rhetoric disappeared this week. Speaking at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Trump border czar Tom Homan practically reveled in promising an even larger wave of mass deportations — complete with thousands of new federal agents and a message that sounded less like policy and more like a threat.
And he wasn’t subtle about it.
“If you think last year’s historic number is good, wait till [sic] next year and we have 10,000 more agents on the border. You ain’t seen s— yet,” Homan declared during his opening remarks.
“This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming,” he added.
That statement alone tells you exactly where this administration is headed.
According to NPR, the White House is planning a massive expansion of deportation operations, including adding more than 10,000 federal agents to ramp up enforcement efforts nationwide.
Homan also brushed aside critics who say Trump’s immigration crackdown hasn’t gone far enough.
“For the people out there saying President Trump’s weak on mass deportation, what the hell are you talking about? President Trump made a promise to the American people that’s going to happen.”
Translation: they’re just getting started.
And if anyone thought the administration planned to focus only on violent offenders or serious criminals, Homan made it crystal clear that’s not the case.
“It doesn’t mean because you prioritize criminals, everybody else is off the table. I’ve said no one’s off the table. Why is that? I don’t care how long you’ve been here.”
In other words, the dragnet is the point.
The comments mark a sharp escalation in tone after the removal of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, whose tenure was already defined by inflammatory rhetoric and hardline immigration politics. For a short moment, there appeared to be at least some effort to soften the administration’s public messaging.
That moment is clearly over.
What makes Homan’s comments even more striking is that they come as public support for the administration’s immigration tactics has started slipping. Polling cited by NPR found that more than half of Americans believe immigration enforcement efforts have gone “too far,” though Republican voters still overwhelmingly support ICE operations.
But the administration doesn’t appear remotely interested in moderation.
Homan also claimed newly confirmed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin fully supports the administration’s aggressive deportation agenda, even though Mullin didn’t attend the Phoenix event.
The bigger picture here is impossible to ignore. This is no longer just tough-on-immigration messaging. The administration is openly framing mass deportation as a centerpiece political spectacle, one delivered with swagger and vulgar boasts about what comes next.
