Although President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plan will center on illegal migrants with criminal histories, border czar Tom Homan warns that other migrants undoubtedly will be subject to "collateral arrests."
Trump campaigned on implementing a mass deportation of criminals who illegally entered the U.S. during the migrant surge under the Biden administration.
Homan, whom Trump named to oversee the deportation plan, told the Washington Examiner on Monday that migrants whose only accused crime was entering the U.S. illegally should expect deportation, especially if they are residing with someone who's the target of an arrest warrant.
"In sanctuary cities, expect a lot of collateral arrests," Homan told the outlet. "I mean, not priority criminal arrests. We can't get the bad guy in jail. That means we have to go into the communities and find them, and there may be others. We expect a lot of collateral arrests."
There were roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with a temporary status at the start of 2022, a figure that some analysts say has increased to 13-14 million. Those with temporary protections are not immediately deportable and many live in "sanctuary" states that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Law enforcement in sanctuary states typically refuse to alert ICE when they detain or release an immigrant eligible for deportation.
Trump has promised to start his deportation plan by arresting people who have criminal histories and 1.4 million who have been ordered deported by a judge.
"There's over 700,000 criminal aliens with criminal convictions," Homan said.
While ICE under the Biden administration prioritized arresting illegal migrants with criminal convictions for serious crimes, Trump is expected to include anyone unlawfully present in the country.
"ICE is going to do what they're good at," Homan told the Examiner.
The border czar said Trump's deportation plan will begin on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
"We're starting across the country on the same day," Homan said.
"Twenty-four [ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations] field offices — some cover two or three states. Every field office will be given the direction that they are to begin looking for, arresting, detaining, removing those in the United States that have been arrested for a crime."
Reuters contributed to this story.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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