Trump begins to fill out his immigration team

President-elect Donald Trump began putting together his team this week, including the announcement of former acting ICE Director Tom Homan as White House "Border Czar" and founder of America First Legal, and former Trump advisor, Stephen Miller as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor.

Homan will be tasked with putting an end to the ongoing border crisis. More than 10 million illegal aliens have been apprehended crossing the border illegally or encountered at a port of entry since Pres. Biden took office in January 2021. Homan will focus on stopping the surge, deterring future illegal immigration, and overseeing the deportation of illegal aliens living in the United States.

Miller will most likely play a role in the development and implementation of the Trump Administration's overall immigration policy. Miller played a similar role during the first Trump Administration.

Pres.-elect Trump also nominated North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While DHS oversees the three main immigration agencies -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) -- it's also responsible for overseeing FEMA, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and TSA, just to name a few.

Trump also nominated Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. All three departments play key roles in U.S. immigration policy. The Department of State issues most immigrant and nonimmigrant visas and manages refugee admissions, the Department of Justice runs the immigration courts that preside over removal and asylum proceedings for illegal aliens, and the Department of Health and Human Services manages the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Trump has yet to announce who will head ICE, CBP, and USCIS under the Department of Homeland Security. These appointees will also play a significant role in how immigration policy is carried out under the new administration.

Immigration News

Trump’s new border czar puts sanctuary cities on notice: ‘Get the hell out of the way’
On Monday, President-elect Trump tapped former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tom Homan as his Border Czar. Stephen Dinan at the Washington Times outlines Homan's history in immigration and explains how he plans to carry out the incoming President's mandate to reverse the open-border policies that have devastated the country for the past four years.

First on CNN: Trump picks Kristi Noem to serve as his Homeland Security secretary
Another major appointment that will impact immigration policy was announced this week when CNN broke the news that President-elect Trump would be appointing South Dakota Governor (and former Member of Congress) Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

President Trump Announces Senior White House Staff
Finally, President Trump announced that Stephen Miller will be returning to the White House, this time as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor.

Incoming Trump admin eyes massive expansion of immigration detention: 'He will deliver'
With all of Washington's attention on the incoming Trump Administration, details of how the administration is planning to implement its immigration enforcement policies are making their way into the news. In this report, Fox News highlights an early plan to dramatically increase immigration detention.

Democratic Governors Form a Group to Oppose the Trump Administration
As expected, many sanctuary jurisdictions have already announced their intention to resist the will of the voters as it pertains to immigration policy. The New York Times highlights Governors Pritzker (IL) and Polis (CO), who have already formed a group to throw up roadblocks to immigration enforcement. The Washington Times included Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on the list of those planning to stop immigration enforcement. Gov Murphy said he would fight deportation "to the death." As we noted on X, these officials can't prevent ICE from enforcing federal law in their states, and lack of cooperation by local law enforcement will just make it that much more dangerous for all involved. On a related note, Jessica Vaughan at the Center for Immigration Studies reported yesterday that sanctuary cities released 22,000 illegal aliens sought by ICE just under the Biden Administration.

Thune says Trump's border plan is 1st up in rigorous priority list for new Congress: 'Real work begins'
Congressional leadership elections for the 119th Congress happened this week. The House of Representatives will see a largely similar leadership team with Speaker Mike Johnson at the helm. Senate Republicans, on the other hand, elected their new Majority Leader as Minority Leader McConnell will be stepping down from serving as the chief Senate Republican after nearly 18 years. Senator Thune, who currently serves as Minority Whip, gave his first speech on the Senate floor following his election this week and made it clear that border security is his #1 priority.

Next Week

Both the House and Senate are in session next week.