Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for “border czar,” has promised to cut federal funding to states that refuse to cooperate with the administration’s new immigration policies.
Homan, who previously served as acting ICE director, made the statement during an appearance on Mark Levin’s television show. The announcement comes as Homan reveals he and his family have relocated from their home due to death threats.
“This administration has turned this world upside down, so now I’m being attacked,” Homan said during the interview. “I got death threats, my family’s not even living in my home right now.”
The former ICE director has pledged to implement what he describes as the “biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”
During his television appearance, show host Mark Levin suggested using federal funding as leverage against uncooperative governors, particularly those overseeing sanctuary jurisdictions. Sanctuary cities are locations that limit cooperation between local officials and federal immigration authorities.
“If you have a governor who says, ‘I’m not going to cooperate’…then federal funds should be slashed to that state, and I mean hugely so, so that the people of that state understand that the governor is the responsible party,” Levin said, to which Homan responded: “And that’s going to happen. Guaranteed, President Trump is going to do that.”
The statement follows Homan’s earlier warning to Democratic governors on Fox & Friends to “get the hell out of the way” and “don’t cross that line” regarding potential resistance to the administration’s immigration policies.
As border czar, Homan would oversee border control operations and deportation procedures for undocumented immigrants. His appointment signals the administration’s continued focus on stricter immigration enforcement and potential confrontations with sanctuary jurisdictions.
Local cooperation is considered crucial for federal immigration enforcement, though sanctuary policies can impede these efforts. State and local officials may face increased pressure to assist with federal immigration actions under the new administration.