Border czar Tom Homan said Tuesday that the nation’s already “historic” deportation levels are set to rise sharply next year as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prepares to deploy thousands of newly hired agents into enforcement operations.
Homan said ICE expects to remove more than 600,000 undocumented immigrants by the end of the year. He delivered the estimate during Axios’ Future of Defense Summit in October.
Appearing on “The Ingraham Angle,” Homan explained to Fox News host Laura Ingraham how the agency intends to scale its operations.
He said the hiring surge marks a major expansion of the government’s enforcement posture.
“So between that record number of deportations, the record number of self-deports, we’re already having historic deportation operations. But hold on tight. We’re hiring 10,000 more that’s going to be on duty by mid-January,” Homan told Ingraham.
He added that the expanded workforce represents a dramatic increase in operational capacity.
“That’s tripling the size of enforcement operations,” he said. “So if you think the numbers are historic now, wait until next year.”
Ingraham asked Homan why some critics claim the current deportation totals are “nowhere near enough.” He responded by pointing to the scale of the effort already underway.
“Come put a badge and gun on and give us a hand. ICE’s hiring record numbers,” Homan said.
“Bottom line is, I just said just about 650,000 deportations. That is several hundred thousand more than the record that was back in 2012. So it was already a historic operation.”
Homan said the full impact of enforcement goes beyond formal deportations.
He noted that fear of removal has driven significant numbers of illegal immigrants to depart voluntarily.
“You got to consider the people who have left the country out of fear of being deported. There’s over 1.6 million of them,” he said.
“So there’s well over 2.2 million [who have] left the country already.”
Homan said that outcome aligns with the government’s strategic approach.
“And that’s been the part of the plan from the beginning,” he continued. “We knew if we send over a thousand ICE teams out there across the country, we send a message to the whole world. You enter this country illegally, we’re looking for you.”
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Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem offered similar figures, saying the U.S. has seen roughly 1.6 million illegal immigrants leave the country during her first 200 days in office.
Noem called the drop a significant shift in enforcement outcomes. She said the change reflects DHS’ emphasis on aggressive messaging and targeted operations.
She also pointed to the department’s international ad campaign urging migrants to “leave now.”
DHS has expanded its enforcement activity across multiple states, with operations targeting areas where officials say sanctuary-style policies have attracted offenders.
The department recently launched Operation Charlotte’s Web in North Carolina as part of that broader strategy, according to the Daily Caller.
DHS said the sweep aimed at identifying and arresting criminal illegal immigrants who had moved into the state.
Officials reported 81 arrests during the operation’s first day.
DHS said the individuals detained included offenders who traveled to North Carolina believing they would avoid enforcement under local policies.
