Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s declared “border czar,” says he would need at least 100,000 detention beds and a significant increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to successfully undertake the president-elect’s plans.
Trump has pledged the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, but how he will pay for his plans has been an open question. ICE isn’t currently budgeted for anywhere near 100,000 beds, for example.
“This will be an expense — this will be an expensive operation. But in the long run, it should be a — it would be a huge tax savings on the American people,” Homan said during a Wednesday night CNN appearance.
“Because right now, they’re spending billions of dollars on free airline tickets, free hotel rooms, free medical care, not talking about our educational system, our trauma in hospitals…” he added.
The former acting ICE director told anchor Kaitlan Collins that he would need a minimum of $86 million to fulfill deportation efforts.
Trump has also claimed that undocumented immigrants are “costing us a fortune,” a position disputed by many economists.
A Congressional Budget Office report from July said that increased immigration from 2021 to 2026 will result in an $897 billion reduction in the federal deficit.
Trump has said his administration will be deporting thousands if not millions of people, though it’s unclear if Republicans on Capitol Hill, who are generally supportive of his plans, may balk at the soaring detention and transportation costs.
“It all depends on the funding I get from the Hill,” Homan said in the interview with Collins.
