A day after Texas officials offered a 1,400-acre ranch for Donald Trump's mass deportation plan, the president-elect's "border czar" pick said the new administration will "absolutely" make use of it.
"We absolutely will. When we find somebody, a targeted enforcement operation, when they get arrested, they'll be detained," Homan told Fox News in the show, The Ingraham Angle.
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Pointing out that the immigrants who are to be deported would have to be detained briefly while travel documents are to be obtained from the host country. It is estimated that there are 20 million illegal immigrants in the US.
His remarks come after Texas General Land Office commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered 1,402-acre ranch from Starr County for the federal agencies in connection with the deportation.
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Sheerin Ranch was acquired by the land office in October to build a border wall but after Trump won, the officials decided to help the federal authorities house the detained immigrants. Bucking pointed out that the land would be given on lease and not be relinquished to the federal authorities.
Since 2021, Texas has shelled out over $11 million in taxpayer money to beef up border security under Operation Lone Star.
Trump on Monday hinted that he would declare an immigration national emergency and utilise military assets for the deportation.
Earlier in November, Homan said the Trump administration will carry out workplace raids and that they would have no issue finding a place to detain the immigrants. Regarding funds, he admitted that the plan would cost a lot and Trump would do everything to ensure that money is raised.
In contrast to Texas, Democrat-ruled states have vowed to protect immigrants. The Los Angeles City Council voted to become a "sanctuary city".
Trump said he will close the southern border temporarily to clear pending cases. He has already erected a round 700 miles of wall on the Mexican border during his first term and is set to resume work on the remaining 1,300 miles halted by Joe Biden.
