The president-elect of the United States has announced that he will appoint Tom Homan, former immigration official in Donald Trump's first term, as “border czar”.
Homan was acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency from January 2017 to June 2018.
"I am pleased to announce that former ICE Director and a stalwart of border control, Tom Homan, will join the Trump Administration, responsible for our Nation's borders," the Republican wrote on Sunday night.
In addition to overseeing the southern and northern borders and "maritime and air security," Trump said Homan "will be responsible for all deportations of illegal aliens back to their home country."
The 78-year-old president-elect has promised to launch the largest deportation operation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history on the first day of his second term.
The tycoon said on his social network Truth Social that he had "no doubt" that Homan "will do a fantastic and long overdue job."
Homan's appointment does not require confirmation by the Senate, the upper house of the United States Congress.
During the election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly attacked illegal immigrants, whom he accused of "poisoning the blood" of the United States, and promised to reinstate a policy of family separation at the border.
During Donald Trump's previous term (2017-2021), almost four thousand migrant children were separated from their parents and placed in detention.
Hours before Trump's announcement, Homan said in an interview with US television station Fox News that the military would not detain and arrest immigrants illegally in the country and that ICE would act "humanely".
"It will be a well-targeted, well-planned operation, conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do it every day. They are good at it," Homan said.
"When we go on the ground, we will know who we are looking for. We will probably know where they are and it will be done humanely," he assured.
Homan is the second name announced for Donald Trump's future administration, after Susie Wiles, the architect of the Republican's victorious campaign.
Trump stressed on Thursday that the 60-year-old will be the first woman to hold the position of presidential chief of staff.
The tycoon was elected the 47th President of the United States, having surpassed the 270 votes needed in the electoral college, with the results still being counted.
The Republican Party also regained the Senate (upper house of Congress) by surpassing the threshold of 51 elected representatives, while in the House of Representatives (lower house) the latest figures indicate that it is also ahead in the count, with 210 seats, just eight short of a majority.
