An ICE agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), watches as Guatemalan police investigate the scene after detaining a suspected human trafficker on May 29, 2019 in Guatemala City. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Project 2025 author and Donald Trump’s ‘border czar’ Tom Homan issued a stark warning to cities who choose not to cooperate with a federal mass deportation effort:
“Get the hell out of the way,” he said during a Friday appearance on Newsmax. “This is going to happen with or without you.”
The former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said local compliance was welcome but far from necessary in the president-elect’s scheme to remove millions of undocumented Americans.
“It will certainly help us to have local law enforcement to assist us, especially if things go bad,” Homan said. “If they do, they do.”
Homan chastised Los Angeles City Council member Hugo Soto-Martínez for his commitment to upholding the city’s sanctuary policy, which bars local authorities from cooperating with federal immigration schemes.
“If I gotta send twice as many officers to LA because we’re not getting any assistance, then that’s what we’re going to do,” Homan said. “We got a mandate. President Trump is serious about this. I’m serious about it.”
Homan’s proclamation comes as state governors have mobilized to insulate their residents from the Trump administration’s federal power. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called an emergency legislative session in the wake of Trump’s win, promising to fight back against assaults from the incoming administration.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”