Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for “border czar,” speaks at a Law & Order PAC event on Monday. | Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
By Tina Sfondeles | Chicago Sun*Times
President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan came to Chicago on Monday to implore Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker to “come to the table” and negotiate with him over a mass deportation plan that he declared would start right here.
Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, began a 20-minute address at a Northwest Side GOP “holiday party” with some light ribbing before detailing his plan, which includes verifying the status of asylum seekers and arresting those who are found harboring criminals.
“Chicago’s in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks,” Homan said to cheers. Later, he called both “terrible,” while also telling them to “come to the table.”
To Johnson, who has said he would protect the city’s immigrants from federal agents, Homan said, “If he doesn’t want to help, get the hell out of the way.”
Homan threatened to arrest people who are found with the criminals he is targeting — regardless of whether he has cooperation from the city. He urged the mayor to meet with him — following the lead of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“When they go find that bad guy, and when they find him, he’s probably going to be with others. Others that are not a priority because they’re not a criminal. But guess what? They’re going to be arrested too,” Homan said. “Because he forced me into that position. So he wants to play the game. I’ll play that game.”
Homan reiterated that there is no plan to separate families, but said “it may happen.”
“I’m not looking to separate families at all. That’s not my goal,” Homan said. “My goal is to enforce the law, but if you put yourself in that position, it may happen. But there’s no plan in this administration right now to separate families. It just isn’t. However we’re, going to enforce the law. So if you put yourself in that position it’s on you.”
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I’m in the real estate space and notice that home buyers are on alert to see how the deportee/immigrant policies pan out and home buyers are sensitive to geographic areas of where they are looking to buy a home