Tom Homan, President-elect Trump's border czar, says deportation plan will start in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man President-elect Donald Trump picked as the new border czar appeared in Chicago Monday night—and made a bold promise.
Tom Homan was a guest at a holiday party hosted by the Law and Order PAC and the Northwest Side GOP Club.
"Chicago's in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks," said Homan.
Homan said President-elect Trump tapped him to run the biggest deportation operation the country has ever seen—and he said that operation will begin in Chicago right after President-elect Trump is inaugurated for his new term on Jan. 20.
Homan's opening line did not seem to open the door to collaboration. But minutes later, Homan Asked both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker to come to the table to help with the biggest deportation operation in U.S. history.
"We're going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois. If your Chicago mayor doesn't want to help, he can step aside," Homan told the crowd. "But if he impedes us—if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien—I will prosecute him."
Homan vowed agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be in Chicago when President-elect Trump takes office.
"January 21st, you're going to look for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for criminals and gang members," Homan said. "Count on it. It will happen."
Homan made the comments at the event Monday night at Biagio Events and Catering, 4242 N. Central Ave. Mayor Johnson has not issued a comment.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) addressed the proposed plans for mass deportations during an interview with CBS News Chicago's Dana Kozlov.
"What he's saying is invoking the same kind of fear that I have been seeing in (committee of) homeland security for the last two years," Ramirez said. "Of course, they are going to try to target communities that understand, like Chicago, that immigrants have contributed to our economy."
When asked about Trump's plans to end birthright citizenship, Ramirez said, "I would argue to say it's un-American ... it's absolutely unconstitutional."
Ramirez said she is prepared to fight, along with the mayor and governor, to protect communities on the city and state levels.
Ramirez said that with sanctuary city status in place, officials like herself are working to ensure the maintenance of constitutional practices.
"In the state of Illinois, we protect our immigrant communities," she said.
Claudia Marchan, executive director of Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors, heard a message of fear and divisiveness from Homan.
"It's disheartening," she said.
Marchan wants to remind immigrants in Illinois of their constitutional rights—and of local laws that restrict how police can collaborate with ICE.
"Know your rights in your home, know your rights in the car, at work, in public spaces, right?" Marchan said. "We have to go through all of these steps to ensure that folks know, 'Hey, you are protected.'"
But some Chicago aldermen showed support for Homan's plan. Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) was in attendance for Homan's speech.
"Made it perfectly clear—they're going after the criminal element first," said Sposato. "They're not after dreamers. They're after the criminal element first."
Sposato even captured part of the speech on camera.
"And they're not too happy with our governor and our mayor about protecting these criminals, and they're going to work it from there," he said.
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) said he met with Homan before the event—and shared a post about the meeting on X, formerly Twitter.
"He wants to work with the City of Chicago with law enforcement to identify just those specific individuals who are choosing to commit violent, dangerous crimes in our neighborhoods," Lopez said.
Homan said ICE enforcement will be targeted, and will begin on President-elect Trump's first full day back in office.
"If you're in the country illegally, you're not off the table," Homan said.