Trump’s Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan Puts Sanctuary Cities on Notice: Requests DOJ to Charge Officials with Obstruction and Harboring for Shielding Illegal Immigrants
President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has issued a stark warning to sanctuary cities: comply with federal immigration laws or face severe consequences.
In an exclusive interview with Just the News, Homan stated that officials who refuse to cooperate with federal authorities in the detention of illegal immigrants could face serious legal repercussions, including charges of obstruction and harboring.
Homan, the former acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), made it clear that the Trump administration will not tolerate any attempts by local governments to shield illegal aliens from federal law enforcement.
“They need to be aware of a couple things. No. 1, impeding a federal law enforcement officer is a crime. No. 2, if you knowingly harbor or conceal an illegal alien from ICE, that’s a crime,” Homan warned. “So don’t cross that line!”
Homan and Trump are preparing to implement a robust plan of mass deportations starting January 20. The initial focus will be on those illegal immigrants with criminal records.
Some blue states and cities, however, are already digging in their heels. California’s Los Angeles recently reaffirmed its status as a sanctuary city.
Homan has pledged to deploy “twice as many” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Los Angeles to carry out mass deportations.
“Federal law trumps state and local law every time, so if you’re not gonna help, get the hell out of the way,” Homan said according to Newsweek.
“We’re coming, we’re doing it, and they’re not going to stop us…. If you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien, that’s a felony…. Why would you push back on this?”
“If I’ve got to send twice as many officers to L.A. because we’re not getting any assistance, then that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve got a mandate, President Trump’s serious about this, I’m serious about this. This is going to happen with or without you,” he added.
During an interview with Sean Hannity, Homan issued a warning to the Democratic mayor of Denver after he expressed his willingness to go to jail to protect illegal immigrants.
“Me and the Denver mayor agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail. I’m willing to put him in jail.”
WATCH:
Tom Homan on Denver Mayor Johnston: “Me and the Denver mayor agree on one thing.”
“He’s willing to go to jail. I’m willing to put him in jail.” pic.twitter.com/HExzkeHP3I
— Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) November 26, 2024
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also openly declared her city would resist the federal government’s deportation plans.
“Elections have consequences, and the federal government is responsible for a certain set of actions, and cities, no individual city, can reverse or override some parts of that,” Wu said in an interview with WCVB.
“But what we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way, that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and and having large scale economic impact.”
“And then we are providing the spaces to reach out directly to our residents, because the last thing we want is for people who are part of our economy, part of our school system, part of our community and the fabric of our city, to feel that all of a sudden they have to retreat into the shadows with because of fear that reaching out to city services, whether it’s calling 911, when you need it, or taking your child to school, those are all city services that have nothing to do with immigration enforcement, and we will continue to protect our residents within those spaces,” she added.
In a blunt interview with Greg Kelly, Homan dismantled Wu’s rationale and warned of the potential legal consequences for her administration.
“Well, she’s not very smart, I’ll give her that because I just said… President Trump’s going to prioritize public safety threats,” Homan said.
“What mayor or governor doesn’t want public safety threats out of their communities? That’s our number one responsibility; to protect their communities and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
“So she helps us, [or] she gets the hell out of the way because we’re going to do it. Look, there’s a clear line here. They can’t cross a clear line. I would suggest she read Title 8, United States Code 1324 III that says you can’t harbor conceal an illegal alien.”
“So I hope she don’t cross that line. They can not cooperate, but there are certain laws in place that they can’t cross and I hope she doesn’t cross it.”
Under Homan’s leadership, the Trump administration will explore all legal avenues, including prosecuting local officials who defy federal immigration laws. Homan confirmed he would seek an opinion from Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, on whether city or county jails refusing to cooperate with ICE constitutes a federal crime.
The strategy also includes cutting federal funding to jurisdictions that harbor illegal immigrants.
“I’ll leave it up to the attorney general, but I think it needs to be fully reviewed. And I hope they agree with me,” he said.
“We’ve got to pull federal funding. We got to take the money away,” he said. “And look, I’m hoping to come to the game ready because President Trump and myself, we’ve been clear that public safety threats and national security threats would be the priorities right out of the gate. Public safety threats, national security threats, we got plenty in the fight. So you know, what mayor or governor doesn’t want public safety threats out of their communities.”
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