Trump's Second Term Revives Illegal Immigrant Family Detention... Deportation Even with US-Born Children

'Gukgyeong Chareu' Tom Homan WP Interview
"Must Choose Whether to Leave Only Ai or Depart Together"

Tom Homan, nominated as the 'border czar' for Donald Trump's second administration set to launch in January next year, reaffirmed Trump's stance on detaining families of illegal immigrants with children born in the United States together in detention facilities.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 26th (local time), Homan, who will oversee illegal immigrant deportations and border control in Trump's second term, said in an interview with the outlet, "You (illegal immigrant) decided to have a child knowing full well that you are staying in the United States illegally."

The United States automatically grants citizenship to anyone born in the country regardless of the parents' legal residency status. Trump has previously stated plans to deport illegal immigrants, saying that those with children who have acquired citizenship must choose whether to leave the child behind in the U.S. or leave the entire family together.

Homan explained, "You (illegal immigrant) are the one who put your family in that situation," adding, "We need to build family facilities. How many beds are needed depends on the data." He continued, "This will be a costly and expensive operation, but in the long run, it will significantly reduce the taxes paid by American citizens."

Trump intends to detain and deport illegal immigrants along with their children. This signifies the revival of the family detention policy that the Joe Biden administration abolished in 2021. At that time, President Biden closed three family detention facilities with a total of 3,000 beds. Homan previously estimated in an interview with CNN that 100,000 beds would be needed for a large-scale deportation operation of illegal immigrants.

Homan emphasized, "We need to show the American people that we can do this (deport illegal immigrants) and that it is not inhumane," adding, "We cannot lose the trust of the American people."

Regarding Trump's suggestion of military mobilization for deporting illegal immigrants, he explained, "The military can assist with transportation and other support functions, but only trained law enforcement officers can arrest immigrants," and that the deportation operation "will target those with criminal records, not wiping them out or having the military patrol neighborhoods."