Washington, D.C. – White House border czar Tom Homan delivered a triumphant update Monday, revealing that nearly two million undocumented immigrants have been removed from the United States since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, blending forced deportations with a surge in self-deportations amid ramped-up enforcement.
Speaking on Fox News, Homan credited the “Midway Blitz” operation with over 400,000 removals by ICE and Customs and Border Protection since January, prioritizing criminals and national security threats. “We’re at over 400,000 deportations… and that’s just since the president took office,” he said. The bulk – about 1.6 million – stems from voluntary exits, as migrants flee intensified raids in sanctuary cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. “They see what ICE is doing out there every day,” Homan explained, warning the pace will accelerate as the agency triples its deportation officers from 5,000 to 15,000.
Trump hailed the milestone from the Oval Office, calling it proof of “America First” success. “Tom’s making our borders ironclad – no more invasion,” he declared, tying it to plummeting encounters at the southern border. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the sentiment, noting the strategy deters future crossings while targeting “the worst of the worst,” including MS-13 members and fentanyl traffickers.
Critics decried the human toll. Immigrant advocates reported family separations and economic disruptions in communities reliant on undocumented labor. California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed it as “cruel theater,” vowing state resistance despite federal supremacy. “This isn’t safety; it’s scorched-earth cruelty,” he said, as lawsuits mount over raid tactics.
Homan dismissed the backlash, insisting the workforce expansion – backed by $10 billion in new funding – will “explode” numbers to historic highs. As midterms approach, the blitz underscores Trump’s retribution agenda, pitting enforcement zeal against humanitarian outcries in a nation redefined by walls and warrants. With self-deportations signaling fear’s long shadow, the question lingers: victory or vendetta?
