The massive crackdown on illegal immigration at the southern border is making the U.S. safer, but there’s more work to do, border czar Tom Homan told Arizona lawmakers during a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday.
“In a matter of weeks, we’ve had illegal border crossings down 94%. President (Donald) Trump did in five weeks what Joe Biden wouldn’t do in four years,” said Homan, who advises Trump on border issues.
Lawmakers in the Legislature, which has a Republican majority in both houses, applauded regularly during Homan’s speech. Members of the Democratic minority walked out at the start of the speech to protest the Trump administration policies. Homan addressed the walkout during his speech.
“If they saw what I saw in my 40 years, if they saw what the border sheriffs see everyday on the border, they’d understand, but they’re ignorant,” Homan said during his speech, which streamed live on Arizona Legislature’s website. “They don’t want to learn.”
“We’re going to enforce the laws of this country without apology so that’s why there’s going to be massive deportations operations because the last administration caused a massive illegal immigration crisis, where 90% of the people shouldn’t be here,” he said.
The first priority is to deport illegal immigrants who have committed major crimes, but the Trump administration will deport other illegal immigrants, Homan said.
He urged local law enforcement to call the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they have an illegal immigrant in custody.
“Sanctuary cities are slowing us down,” Homan said, noting he appreciates Attorney General Pam Bondi suing cities that harbor illegal immigrants.
Homan noted the Trump administration has been criticized for detaining the families of illegal immigrants. But he added that the detention makes it possible to do DNA tests to make sure children are with a parent and not a sex trafficker.
“Under the Biden administration, half a million children were smuggled into this country, taken out of the hands of their families and given to a criminal cartel to be smuggled into this country, and we’re the bad guys,” Homan said.
Children end up in forced labor or in the hands of sex traffickers, Homan said.
Sitting behind Homan during the speech were House Speaker Steve Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen.
Montenegro said he loved Homan’s speech.
“His decades of experience, his fighting for a secure border, is just refreshing to see,” Montenegro told The Center Square in an exclusive interview after the speech. “I love the fact he’s got a plan and has goals for making us safe.”
Montenegro said he was 5 years old when his family immigrated legally to the U.S. from El Salvador.
“I know immigration laws can work and will work if we follow them,” said Montenegro, a naturalized citizen since childhood.
Homan praised the Arizona Legislature for its bills cracking down on border crossings. The Arizona Immigration, Cooperation and Enforcement Act, which requires local and state law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, passed recently in the Senate.
The House will vote on the bill, commonly known as the AZ ICE Act, possibly as soon as this week, Montenegro said.
“We want to cooperate with the federal government,” he said, adding that he expects Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to sign the bill. “Why would the governor not sign a piece of legislation that would protect the public, especially since Arizonans have spoken loud and clear in their communities?”
The problems of fentanyl coming across the border and the trafficking of children are on the top of residents’ minds, Montenegro said. He noted 300,000 children have gone missing and that legislators are looking at ways to increase punishments for sex traffickers.
“We’re an evil society if we continue to allow something like this to happen,” Montenegro said.
