Trump immigration policy spelled out

Although the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States will take place on Jan. 20, 2025, it’s quite clear what the incoming administration’s immigration policy is going to be based on the president-elect’s “Agenda 47” that says mass deportations will be executed, and the public statements of former Immigration and Customs Enforcement deputy director Thomas Homan, who has been appointed as “border czar.” 

An article published by the New York Post lengthily discussed the new border czar’s priorities for mass deportations and strongly advised foreign nationals illegally staying in the US to voluntarily go home to their countries of origin.

“No one’s off the table,” Homan warned. “If you’re in the country illegally, you got a problem.” 

The former New York police officer and US Border Patrol agent had earlier issued a strong statement addressed to “the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden released in our country in violation of federal law,” telling them, “You better start packing now. Because you are going home.”

Homan’s warning is explicit: “If you’re in the country illegally and you got an order for removal, or even if you don’t have one, if you’re in the country, leave on your own. Because when you leave on your own, there’s no penalties. But if we actually have to deport you with a formal order for deportation, there’s a 20-year ban. That means you can’t get a visit visa, you can’t get a tourist visa. If you have a US citizen child that lives here, he can’t petition for you. So, it’s better to leave on your own rather than getting a formal order of removal.”

This was precisely what I was saying during my initial media interviews following the victory of Donald Trump at the polls, advising those facing immigration problems that if there is no legal path for them to stay in the US, they have to seriously start thinking about going back home – voluntarily, so they can still have a chance to come back at some point legally.  

While the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Migrant Workers and other concerned government agencies are looking at every avenue possible to help those facing deportation, this is the best advice to give them at this time. 

Heads of post at Philippine consulates in the US will be coming to Washington, DC next week precisely to discuss how we can properly advise Filipinos who are facing possible deportation. The DFA and the DMW are also coordinating to outline plans and support mechanisms for an estimated 350,000 to 370,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants working and living in the United States. I’ve always believed that following the law is ultimately the only legal remedy.

Last Tuesday, Homan announced that they are putting a plan in place and that they are “not waiting until January” to secure US borders. In an earlier podcast by the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., Homan also disclosed that people can expect to see “shock and awe” on Day 1 of the (second) Trump administration. 

Officials from sanctuary cities are bracing for a possible funding shutdown by the federal government. In New York City, preparations are underway to close down migrant shelters such as the tent complex at the Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn that houses 2,000 asylum seekers. The shelter has caused a lot of division, with critics demanding that it be shut down, saying it has disrupted the surrounding communities with an increase in shoplifting and mendicancy. Across New York City, there are over 57,000 migrants housed in emergency shelters. 

Lawyers representing employers are also telling their clients to be prepared, given the statement by the Trump administration’s border czar that “worksite operations have to happen” because many undocumented immigrants are either sex trafficked or are forced into labor, he said.  

Employers are being advised to check the I-9 forms of employees to verify their identity and authorization to work in the US. Managers and business owners who harbor or hide undocumented workers face up to 10 years in prison for violating immigration laws. They could also be fined up to $250,000 and upon conviction of a federal felony, their assets used in the commission of the crime and all proceeds could be seized.  

Data from the April 2024 Department of Homeland Security report written by Bryan Baker and Robert Warren covering 2018 to 2022 show that the biggest number of “unauthorized immigrants” come from Mexico, followed by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and the Philippines at number 5.

“What people don’t understand is that we can’t just put them on a plane,” Homan said, explaining that those facing deportation will go through a process that could take weeks – or longer – which means they will be placed in detention cells until they are deported. There will also be a “targeted approach” that would prioritize the deportation of individuals known as, or suspected of being, national security threats, along with those who have a criminal history and are already in detention, and those who were given “due process at great taxpayer expense and the federal judge ordered them removed, but they didn’t leave, and they became a fugitive.”  

According to the New York Post, individuals who are on the federal Terrorist Watch List and Special Interest Aliens, those from countries of foreign concern, are all priorities. Homan said he will be working very closely with the FBI and the intelligence community to identify and find these individuals.  

As the Trump border czar put it, “The overarching theme is millions of people entered this country illegally – which is a crime.”   

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