Overview
- Speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Washington, Tom Homan said President Trump tasked him to secure the border, run a mass deportation operation, and locate unaccompanied migrant minors.
- He claimed CBP encounters at the southern border are down 96% since the start of the administration and said there were 16 known gotaways on Sept. 2.
- Homan described locating missing children as the most difficult mandate, asserting the prior administration lost contact with about 300,000 minors and released roughly 1,400 to unvetted sponsors.
- He said agents have found many children safe with family but also reported rescues from sex trafficking and forced labor and noted that some missing children have died.
- He said interior enforcement is advancing with priority on public safety threats, cited about 600,000 noncitizens with criminal histories and 1.4 million with final removal orders, and referenced a reported plan for a large Chicago operation involving 200 DHS agents and use of Naval Station Great Lakes.