President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to appoint former ICE Director Thomas Homan as the new “border czar,” signaling a hardline approach to immigration enforcement as he prepares for his second term.

In a post on his platform Truth Social, Trump emphasized Homan’s experience and commitment to border security, writing, “I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

The “border czar” role, as Trump explained, will go beyond the U.S.-Mexico border to include oversight of the Northern border, as well as maritime and aviation security.

Trump’s decision comes less than a week after his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, who was informally designated as the “border czar” under the Biden administration—a role that faced considerable criticism amid surging illegal crossings.

Border security has been a central theme of Trump’s political platform since his first campaign in 2016. During his 2024 campaign, he pledged a return to a rigorous, enforcement-driven immigration policy, decrying the record numbers of illegal crossings in recent years.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported nearly 3 million illegal border encounters in fiscal year 2024 alone, with over 10.8 million encounters since fiscal year 2021. Trump’s plan, as outlined on the campaign trail, includes enhanced enforcement and large-scale deportation efforts, which Homan is expected to lead.

Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Trump, is known for his support of aggressive immigration enforcement policies. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he described the forthcoming deportation operations as “well-targeted, planned operations” led by ICE, emphasizing that deportations would be conducted in a “humane” manner.

Trump’s rhetoric on immigration remains firm, citing the impacts of drug trafficking, human smuggling, and gang violence.

He frequently referenced illegal immigration as a “poisoning of the blood of our country,” claiming many illegal entrants are “rough people, in many cases from jails, prisons, from mental institutions, insane asylums.”