History of Tom Homan in Timeline

Thomas Douglas Homan is an American law enforcement officer who served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from January 2017 to June 2018. He has served in both the Obama and Trump administrations. In November 2024, Donald Trump designated Homan as "border czar" for a potential second Trump presidency. Homan's career is largely defined by his involvement in immigration enforcement and border security roles within the federal government.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

November 28, 1961: Tom Homan Born

On November 28, 1961, Thomas Douglas Homan was born.

1983: Became West Carthage Police Officer

In 1983, Tom Homan became a police officer in West Carthage.

1984: Joined U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service

In 1984, Tom Homan joined what was then called the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

2003: Supervisor on the Texas Border with Mexico

In 2003, Tom Homan served as a supervisor on the Texas border with Mexico.

2012: Daniel Ragsdale as Deputy Director

Since 2012, Daniel Ragsdale had held the position of Deputy Director before President Trump demoted him to that position on January 30, 2017.

2013: Appointed Executive Associate Director at ICE

In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Tom Homan as Immigration and Customs Enforcement's executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations.

2014: Advocated for Family Separation Policy

By 2014, under the Obama administration, Tom Homan began to argue that separating children from their caregivers would be an effective way to discourage illegal border crossings.

2015: Awarded Presidential Rank Award

In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Tom Homan a Presidential Rank Award for his effectiveness with illegal immigrant deportations.

2016: Comparison of ICE Arrests

In May 2017, Tom Homan mentioned that ICE arrests had increased by 38% compared to the same period in 2016.

January 2017: Appointed as Acting ICE Director

In January 2017, Tom Homan began serving as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

January 30, 2017: Appointed as Acting ICE Director

On January 30, 2017, President Trump appointed Tom Homan as acting director of ICE, replacing Daniel Ragsdale.

May 2017: ICE Arrests Increase

In May 2017, Tom Homan announced that ICE had arrested 41,319 people between Inauguration Day and the end of April, a 38% increase from the same period in 2016.

November 14, 2017: Nominated for ICE Director

On November 14, 2017, President Trump nominated Tom Homan for ICE director.

2017: Advocacy for Family Separation Policy

In 2017, during the Trump administration, Tom Homan became the most vocal proponent of the administration's family separation policy as a means to deter illegal immigration, expanding upon an idea he had previously proposed under the Obama administration.

February 2018: Call for Criminal Charges for Sanctuary City Policies

In February 2018, Tom Homan stated that politicians who support sanctuary city policies should be charged with crimes.

April 2018: Advised Implementation of Zero-Tolerance Policy

In April 2018, Tom Homan and Kevin McAleenan formally advised Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to implement the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy on immigration, including the prosecution of parents and the separation of children from their families.

May 2018: Participated in Press Conference Announcing Zero-Tolerance Policy

In May 2018, Tom Homan participated in the press conference announcing that the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy on immigration was going into effect.

June 5, 2018: Defended Family Separation Policy

On June 5, 2018, Tom Homan appeared for a discussion with the policy director of the Center for Immigration Studies and defended the separation of children from their parents.

June 2018: Retired as Acting ICE Director

In June 2018, Tom Homan retired as acting ICE director.

2018: Began Contributing to Fox News

After 2018, Tom Homan began contributing to Fox News as a commentator.

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2018: Joins Fox News as Commentator

After 2018, Tom Homan began contributing to Fox News as a commentator.

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July 2019: Testified Before House Oversight Committee

In July 2019, Tom Homan testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee regarding the Trump administration's family separation policy.

March 2020: Published "Defend the Border and Save Lives"

In March 2020, Tom Homan published "Defend the Border and Save Lives: Solving Our Most Important Humanitarian and Security Crisis".

February 2022: Joined Heritage Foundation and Project 2025

In February 2022, Tom Homan joined the Heritage Foundation and became a contributor to its Project 2025, which proposes mass arrests, detentions and deportations of illegal immigrants across the nation.

February 25, 2022: Left America First Political Action Conference

On February 25, 2022, Tom Homan was slated as a keynote speaker for the America First Political Action Conference held near Orlando, Florida, but left before the conference began after learning that the conference's founder, Nick Fuentes, had praised Russian president Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine.

November 2022: Launched "Defend the Border and Save Lives" Project

In November 2022, Tom Homan launched a border-focused project called "Defend the Border and Save Lives" in collaboration with the United West, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated anti-Muslim hate group.

2022: Joins Heritage Foundation and Project 2025

In 2022, Tom Homan joined the Heritage Foundation and became a contributor to Project 2025.

June 2024: Speaker at Anti-Immigration Event Hosted by Terry Newsome

In June 2024, Tom Homan was a featured speaker at an anti-immigration event Terry Newsome hosted in Chicago.

July 2024: Statements at National Conservatism Conference

In July 2024, at a National Conservatism Conference meeting, Tom Homan said that if "Trump comes back in January, I'll be on his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen. They ain't seen shit yet. Wait until 2025."

July 2024: Remarks at Republican National Convention

On July 17, 2024, at the Republican National Convention, Tom Homan called Biden's immigration policies "national suicide" and told "millions of illegal aliens" to "start packing". He also stated that drug cartels would be designated as terrorist organizations and that Trump would "wipe them off the face of the earth".

September 2024: FBI Bribery Investigation

In September 2024, Tom Homan was reportedly recorded accepting a bag containing $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as business executives as part of a bribery investigation related to potential government contracts.

October 2024: Guest on Terry Newsome's Podcast

In October 2024, Tom Homan was a guest on Terry Newsome's podcast.

November 10, 2024: Named "Border Czar" by Trump

On November 10, 2024, President-elect Trump announced that Tom Homan would join the incoming administration as the "border czar", in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin. Trump planned to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in efforts to deport illegal immigrants.

November 2024: Designated "Border Czar"

In November 2024, Donald Trump designated Tom Homan as "border czar" for Trump's second presidency.

February 2025: Meetings with Proud Boys Associate

In February 2025, Hatewatch reported that Tom Homan met multiple times with Proud Boys associate Terry Newsome, presumably to discuss mass deportation.

February 2025: Remarks on Fox & Friends about NYC Mayor

In February 2025, while appearing with New York City mayor Eric Adams on the Fox News program Fox & Friends to discuss Adams's cooperation with ICE on immigration issues, Tom Homan made forceful remarks about ensuring Adams follows through on his commitments.

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March 2025: Deportation to El Salvador Despite Court Order

In March 2025, two planeloads of people the Trump administration alleged were Venezuelan gang members were deported to El Salvador, defying a court order blocking the deportations. Tom Homan told the media that the administration completed the deportations despite the court order because the court order was made when the planes were above international waters after leaving the U.S.

April 2025: Deportation Numbers

As of April 2025, the Trump administration stated that approximately 140,000 individuals had been deported, although some estimates indicated that the actual figure was around half that amount.

April 17, 2025: Interview on Deportation of American Citizens

On April 17, 2025, Tom Homan was interviewed by Kaitlan Collins about the deportation of American citizens to foreign prisons. He said that was "out of his lane" and threw the question over to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

June 2025: Prioritization of Criminals for Deportation

In a June 2025 interview, Tom Homan stated that deportations should prioritize those who had committed crimes in the US.

September 2025: Bribery Investigation Closed

In September 2025, the Department of Justice closed the investigation into Tom Homan, citing insufficient evidence.

2025: Contributor to Project 2025

In 2025, Tom Homan was a contributor to Project 2025.

2025: Justice Department Closes Bribery Case

In 2025, when Trump assumed the presidency, Justice Department officials closed the bribery case against Tom Homan, citing insufficient evidence.

2025: Project 2025

In February 2022, Tom Homan became a contributor to Project 2025, which proposes mass arrests, detentions and deportations of illegal immigrants across the nation.