Trump's new pick for 'border czar' says workplace immigration raids planned

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- President-elect Donald Trump late Sunday named his former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Thomas Homan, as the country's next "border czar."

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Homan will join his administration and be in charge of the United States' borders.

"I've known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our borders," Trump said.

Trump said that, in addition to overseeing the nation's southern and northern borders, Homan "will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin."

"Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job."

Speaking on "Fox & Friends" later Monday, Homan said the Trump administration will conduct workplace immigration raids.

Stressing that "worksite operations have to happen," Homan said such measures are part of the new administration's efforts to protect public safety and national security.

Trump is set to become the United States' 47th president and the first convicted individual to the hold the position after winning the general election last week.

He campaign on a platform largely focused on illegal immigration, often using racist and demeaning language and employing disinformation in the process, and has vowed to round up and deport some 11 million immigrants unlawfully present in the United States.

Homan was Trump's ICE director during the agency's controversial "zero tolerance" immigration enforcement policy that separated migrant children from their parents at the U.S. southern border, and is expected to be in charge of the president-elect's mass deportation program.

Before the announcement, Homan appeared on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, where he said "criminal threats, national security threats" would be among the first deported under Trump's plan.

He said the deportation plan will be "well-targeted," planned and led by ICE agents, and not the military, and will be conducted "in a humane manner."