Border czar promises 'mass deportations are coming' to fulfill Trump's promises

Immigration Border czar promises 'mass deportations are coming' to fulfill Trump's promises May 7, 20265:00 AM ET Ximena Bustillo White House border czar Tom Homan speaks to the press at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images PHOENIX – Top Trump administration officials this week reinforced their plans to execute mass deportations as a key strategy on immigration. Speaking at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Ariz., White House border czar Tom Homan praised the work of Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers over the last year and said the high number of arrests and deportations was expected to continue. Immigration officers arrested more than half a million undocumented immigrants last year, according to officials speaking at the Expo, and are now making about 1,200 arrests a day; President Trump had campaigned on a promise of a million deportations a year. Sponsor Message Code Switch How calls for mass deportations went mainstream "If you think last year's historic number is good, wait till next year and we have 10,000 more agents on the border. You ain't seen s*** yet," Homan said in his opening remarks to kick off the Expo. "This year will be a good year. Mass deportations are coming." The remarks contrast with Homan's softer messaging on immigration enforcement after two U.S. citizens were killed by Homeland Security officers during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis in January. Lawmakers from both parties called for the end of the crackdown in Minnesota — a drawdown that Homan led — and a change of leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. Trump earlier this year promised "a little bit of a softer touch" on immigration and replaced Kristi Noem with former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as secretary of homeland security. Immigration Sen. Paul confronts Sen. Mullin over violent rhe...