The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has entered its 37th day as White House border czar Tom Homan suggests the ongoing stalemate with Democrats is a matter of how laws are carried out rather than the laws themselves.
During a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan told host Dana Bash that the immigration policies currently in place are largely the same as those utilized by every president since Bill Clinton.
The interview followed a Senate vote two days prior where an attempt to reopen the department failed. Every voting Democrat, with the exception of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, voted to continue the standoff. When asked what policy concessions the Trump administration was offering to end the impasse, Homan argued that the underlying disagreement is not actually about the rulebook.
“I truly believe this isn’t really a policy issue. We have the same policies in place we had during Obama and Biden and Clinton and [the Bushes],” Homan said, noting that he served in a leadership role at ICE during the Obama administration. He emphasized that the current friction stems from the “execution” of those long-standing policies.
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Historical data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that Democratic administrations have overseen high volumes of removals. Former President Barack Obama’s administration removed more noncitizens than any other, leading some activists to label him the “Deporter in Chief.”
While President Trump deported roughly 675,000 people in the first year of his second term and 1.2 million during his first term, the combined total remains below the nearly 3 million deportations recorded during the Obama years.
Additionally, data analyzed by El Paso Matters indicates that Bill Clinton holds the record for the most total removals and returns combined.
Homan noted that while the White House is having “good conversations” with Democratic leadership, the administration will not “surrender ICE’s authorities.”
The discussion also touched on specific Democratic demands, including a proposal to require ICE agents to remove masks during operations. Homan explained that the administration is discussing ways to ensure clear identification, such as using badge numbers or names.
He stated that many requested changes, including those regarding detention standards and agent ID, have been in the works or implemented since the 2020 protests in Minneapolis.
According to Homan, he is currently working to explain to senators that many of the transparency measures they are asking for are already in play on the ground.
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