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President-elect Donald Trump‘s incoming “border czar” issued a stark warning to criminal gangs on Friday.
“As far as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 … my gang’s bigger than your gang, and we’re going to take you out, too,” said Tom Homan, who led U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term and will now serve as U.S. border enforcer.
Homan made the comments during an interview on Donald Trump Jr.’s Triggered podcast.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Homan added. “I am excited about coming back, serving this country again.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump Jr. asked Homan what his “overarching message” is to Americans “who are eager for major border action on minute one. Like, Inauguration Day, one second in, how much will you be able to improve the life of everyday Americans?”
“I got three words for them: shock and awe,” Homan responded. “Shock and awe. You’re going to see us take this country back.”
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Trump and Homan share similar hard-line views on immigration and border security. Trump’s decision to tap Homan as his “border czar” also renewed concerns of how heavily the president-elect plans to lean on Project 2025, given that Homan is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation and helped contribute to the initiative.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Project 2025 calls for creation of the type of sweeping immigration-focused role for which Trump selected Homan. The incoming “border czar” does not require Senate confirmation to serve under Trump, and CNBC reported that Homan could also be exempt from additional congressional scrutiny.
Homan said this week that he’s not anti-immigrant, he’s “anti-illegal immigration.”
“If they saw what I saw, they’d be anti-illegal immigration, too,” Homan told The New York Times in a wide-ranging interview. “So look, it’s become a political football. And I’m tired of it. I’m sick of it. And I’ve had people call me racist, white nationalist because I enforce the immigration law. Well, so what does that make Congress? They wrote the law.”
Homan also appeared on conservative commentator Tomi Lahren‘s YouTube show on Friday, as he warned Democratic leaders critical of Trump’s plan to initiate mass deportations on Day 1 of his presidency.
“They are going to put roadblocks up, I get it,” Homan told Lahren. “We are going to be sued every day, I get it. They are going to try to slow us down, but they aren’t going to stop us. And if they don’t want to help us, then get the hell out of our way because we are going to do the job.”
Immigration advocates have lambasted Trump’s hard-line stance on border security, saying the deportations won’t be limited to migrants with criminal convictions or charges, and those without legal status could be swept up as well, which could mean leaving behind children who are U.S. citizens.