What to know about Thomas Homan, Trump's incoming 'border czar'

Who is Homan, and what is he likely to do?

Homan is a former New York state police officer and former Border Patrol agent. He was tapped by the Obama administration to lead ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations and was given an award for his efforts in deporting illegal immigrants.

In a 2016 profile, the Washington Post said of Homan, "Thomas Homan deports people. And he's really good at it." But Homan said that was a badge of honor, and he had that story framed in his office.

His involvement in the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, which involved the separation of minors from accompanying adults, made him a lightning rod for controversy for Democrats, some of whom sought to abolish the agency entirely.

Homan repeatedly clashed with top Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., at House hearings, clashes that went viral and are still regularly shared on social media platforms today. In his clash with Ocasio-Cortez, Homan defended the separation of families.

"If I get arrested for DUI and I have a young child in the car, I'm going to be separated," he said.

"Mr. Homan, with all due respect, legal asylees are not charged with any crime," AOC said.

Jayapal, in a clash with Homan at a Judiciary subcommittee hearing in 2019, resorted to banging her gavel when he wouldn't back down when his time expired.

"I'm a taxpayer, you work for me," Homan told Jayapal.

In interviews, Homan has been similarly blunt and has a reputation for answering clearly and directly to questions posed to him. When asked in a 60 Minutes interview last month how family deportations could occur without family separation, Homan replied, "Families can be deported together."

On Friday, days before he was announced as border czar, Homan spoke to Fox News Digital about what mass deportations would look like, downplaying some of what he saw as overheated rhetoric from the left.

However, he warned that it does not mean anyone is off the table: "If you're in a country illegally, you've got a problem."

He also had a warning to states that have promised to resist any deportation efforts.