You're listening to the Buck Sexton Show podcast, make sure you subscribe to the podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Buck Brief. On this episode, our friend Tom Homan is with us. He was acting Director of Immigration and Custom Enforcement under President Donald Trump. He now is the CEO of Border nine to one one UH, doing border education programs all across the country. I think it's really the
most important policy issue right now that faces us. Tom. Thanks for being here, appreciate your expertise.
Thanks for having me.
So just put it into context. People say things like it's the worst it has been at the border. Look at the numbers, Look at what's happening in cities because of it. When you see this, how do you compare what's going on under Biden to what we would expect under a more standard presidency when it comes to illegal immgris.
Well, it's like night and day. I mean, we handed this administration the most secure border in my lifetime. That's just not my opinion. It's based on data. Anybody can go to CBP dot government. Look at the numbers. The Trump administration had illegrammigration had a forty five year low illegrammagration is down eighty three to ninety percent, depending on what time frame you're looking at. And this administration came in the first president in the history of this nation,
Joe Biden an unsecured border. I mean I went for six presidents talking Ronald Reagan, every president, even though obamatics some steps to secure the border, no one did more than President Trump. What he did was unprecedented. But Joe Biden came in unsecured border. So it's night and day, and now we got historic. We went the most secure border in my lifetime to historic never seen before numbers. Three years in a row, he keeps breaking his own record.
First year, historic record under Joe Biden. Jack year, he broke his own historic record. Third year, he broke both of those records. So it went and went from the most secure to the most unsecure seeing in my life.
What did they do to make it that way? What are the decisions the Biden administration took so that we would have, as you said, historically, the most unsecured border, really in our history.
You abolished every policy that we created. They gave us a more secure border. They remain in Mexico program was a game changer. That was the biggest game changer and a Trump administration because people can still claim asylum not to way to Mexico and not be released the United States until there hearing. And here why that made it
such a difference. Once they realized they weren't going to be released in the United States, either don't shopping court or show up in court get ordered moved in that way. When they knew they weren't being released in the United States, they stopped coming. I mean thousands of people stopped coming. It stops, you know, selling everything they own, everything they have, every dollar they got to the cartels to come to the United States. A lot of people get sexually assault,
they get a very trustorous journey. They stop coming because even they realize they don't really qualify for asylum, they just want to come, make an asylum claim, get released in the United States and not showpen court. And the ones that do shortpen court nine out of ten fail. They won't get really from US. Course, so remain in Mexico is a game changer. They stopped coming. The other
game changer a Thursday country agreements. If you're really escape and fear from let's say, Gualate Tomala and you get to Mexico, have you not escaped there for a persecution from your home government because you're not there anymore, so should claim asideum in Mexico. Third, is a Mexican Mexican military in the northern southern border. Mexico's actually enforcing their own immigration laws. Trump demanded that, and those same things.
The Biden administration could turn all three things on tomorrow if they want to secure the border. They choose not to, is it at all?
I mean, there are a couple of things here. One, aren't these so called the asylum seekers ineligible? You mentioned this, but by passing through Mexico and not trying to get asylum there if I'm fleeing first of all, as you know better than anyone tell there. They're coming from Pakistan, they're coming from West Africa, they're coming from Southeast Asia, all over the world. Right, But if you're fleeing violence and you get to Mexico, why not seek asylum in
Mexico first? And doesn't that then make it so that they're ineligible once they get to the States. What is the status of that?
Well, you're exactly right, they should be claiming assignment first free country they come in, and that's one of the things we did, and even the Biden administration was talking about doing it. So yeah, you know, it's clear if you're really persecution, it's just everybody knows when you claim asylum that means you're escaping fear and persecution from your home government because your race, religion, political affiliation, or participation
in a specific social group. For instance, if you're in one of the Middle East countries and you're gay, that that you can be persecuted for that. So so the bottom line is we call them asylum seekers, but people need to understand based on ten years of court data, ten years of immigration court data, nearly nine out of ten people claim asylum at our border will never get rid of need you US. Of course, they either don't show up, they don't qualify, they'll get order to removal.
So if that's the thing we did in Trump administration, if you're really escaping fear of persecution and Indonesia and you pass through four different countries to get here, you should have reclaim asylum the first three country you came to. You're exactly right.
Now under the issue of what happens when they don't show up in court, right, I mean that's you mentioned this most of them, don't we know that? Is there any effort to track them down and deport than them? Because once you don't show up to your asylum hearing, aren't you deportable.
As soon as you get order removed? Yeah, if you don't show up, you'll get to order and absent you it judges. Okay, he's not. Here's I don't order and remove the upsent you. Here's the problem this administration. Even though all Hondro and my orchids will sit in front of Congress and say under all, for those who don't qualify for asylum, they'll be immediately removed. No, not, Ice
isn't even looking for him. I got a lot of friends in icy Aca used to run they're not even looking for him to the Department, and Homeland Security told them not to look form because remember second term of my orches is on record and the ICE priorities. It's in writing telling Nice that being in the country illegally on its own isn't enough for ICE to target anybody for rest. They have to be convicted of a serious aggravated felony or they got to be a national security threat.
So even though they should be rounded up and removed, no one's looking for him under this administration. But I promise you this, under an extra trunk administration, they'll be located deported as required by the courts.
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slash free again, that's Oxford Goldgroup dot com slash free. Okay, Tom, So, how many people could Trump coming into office in twenty twenty five actually deport? You think in year one and what would those resources and what would that program look like?
Well, how many can we deport? It depends on a number of factors. Number one, what other resources? How many officers do we have? And we'll bring officers from other agencies to assist. Also, when we have the detention beds, I mean, Congress is won't have to give us massive amounts of detention beds. And right now Ice is captured thirty four thousand, that's nowhere is near the number of detention beds we would need. So and to rest somebody,
you guide detained them temporarily to get travel documents. Well, people don't understand, we just can't put a plane full of Ethiopians on an airplane has been order to remove and just take Ethiopia. There's a process we have to go through. If you have to contact the country, they have to agree to accept them. Then they got to send you travel documents and that takes that takes, you know, several days to several weeks. So we need detention assets. So how many tension beds won't have So it all
depends on the resources were given. But I tell you this one thing, one thing I'm going to push in the next next administration, is this either legislation or executive order that clearly says this, if have to do process, you've been removed, order removed by federal judge, and you don't leave, you will never qualify for another immigration benefit in the rest of your life. A lot of people, if that was actually a law that was actually in effact, a lot of people would leave run the wrong. Let
me tell you why. At the first things they do in the gear, a lot of them have US citizen kids. Those US citizen kids can petition for them. Someday. There's also going to be work authorization, work visas. There'll be all sorts of visa program if they can qualify for it,
that come in lead. But if you did defy a court order and you and you say you're never going to qualify for work alterization, a visa, or any immigration benefit as long as you live, a lot of people will leave because those US citizen kids someday will petition for those parents. So I think that would have a big help when people are actually leaving, because right now there's no penalty. You don't leave. You hide out long enough, become a fugitive, and sooner or later we're gonna give
you something. Sooner or later, we're gonna have an ambassy program or sooner like the four hundred and forty thousand kids you just came across the border under Biden, that's your next docka population because this country is shown over and over again, if you hide out long enough, we'll give you something. So that's got to end, and we got you.
How do you stop it? I mean you said, you said that's got to end.
Tom.
How would you actually secure the border? How would you stop this?
I'm sorry I stepped on what you said.
I said, how how would you actually stop this? How would you secure the border. If Trump brought you into a room and said, whatever resources you need, whatever personnel you want, whatever executive orders I have to sign, we're getting this thing under control and we're stopping the illegal flow. How do you do it.
And catching release immediately, no one gets released, and you return them as fast as you can return. You sign a third safe country agreements that we alreays so we're affected. You do to remain in Mexico program, which we've proven that's affected. You continue building the wall, which we proved's effective. Where are they coming through right now where there's not a wall or they damage you will? Then we called mex from Mexico have to put military in the southern
northern border. They have to enforce all immigration laws, Mexico law in Mexico to smuggle people, it's against the law of Mexico to trafficking women and children. It's against a law in mexicield for any national in any other country travel through Mexico with all the transit visa. So you know, they have to enforce our immigration law. Then finally, we have several executive orders like I just discussed, but we
need to stop catching release right now. The whole world knows come to our border and you turn yourselves into orbitual agent. You're gonna be released in twenty four hours. You're gonna get a free plane ticket to the city your choice. You're gonna get work alterization, you're gonna get a hotel room. You're gonna get three spurs a day, and medical attention. Who the hell wouldn't count. So that's
where we need to stop and catching leads. Put the Trump policies back from place we're already proven their effective, and let us finish the job and hold other countries accountable. Mexico, if you don't step up, we'll take every dollar international aid away from you, and we'll tear the hell out of all your products coming through the port of entries. They didn't need us more than we need them. That's
what President Trump did. I was in the overlaps when he called the three Central American countries and said that you're gonna pay in a third Safe country agreement, and if you don't, I'm pulling every dollar international aid away. Trump was breathed, what have we done in the past. I've told him, we give millions and millions of dollars to these countries. They can create opportunity zones so people
don't have to leave their country. And when he asked me how that work, it doesn't work because money never gets worth supposed to get. Countries are corrupt, he says, w I'm you so different. I'm not going to give them a dollar. Matter of fact, I'll take money away. And it worked. The threat a loser International aid work. So that's what we got to do. Hold the country's account or or have some sort of consequence when they don't assist.
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a member as well. I believe in patriot Defender. Patriotdefender dot com will cover what others won't to protect you your livelihood and your rights. Tom, how easy is it right now for the cartels to get whatever they want people drugs across the border. I mean, let's start with the narcotic side of this. I've got to assume that, given the the stresses on border patrol manpower, that there's more fentanyl and other opioids flowing across the border than maybe at any time in our history.
Exactly right. It's out of coincidence in the three years of historic living migration that's overwhelmed and boarder job that we have historic fentanyl overdose US. If the cartels have have operational control or a southern border, think about that for a moment. The most powerful nation in the world doesn't have operational control of the border. Comical cartels in Mexico do, and they prove it every day. They decide what comes in, where it comes in, and what comes in.
And I thought to several borderatrol the chiefs that say it they was coming through. One chief patrolly can use the term broken arrow. He says, I'm overwhelmed. I'm lucky if I'm catchuring ten percent. And here's what American people need to know. When you create a crisis this big, where millions of people are crossing. On the average, on an average day, seventy to ninety percent of agents are pulled off the line, off patrol to process, change diapers,
make baby for them, make air programs whatever. At least thirty to ten percent of agents up the line patrol. This past year, there was over a dozen times an a go pass sector EuMA sector, our Passo sector where they pulled every single agent off the line. One hundred percent one under set patrols are pulled in the process. You don't think the criminal cartels had to feel there with that. When there's no enforcement, where there's only thirty or ten percent left, that's when they move the fatanyl.
That's when they traffick the women and children. That's when they're going to move the criminals and the no suspected terrorists that don't want to turn the cell phone then don't want to be vetted. That's when it happens. The criminal cartels will push a large gip with two hundred people through one area, overwhelming what's left on the border borbetual agents and that's when they moved all the other
bad things. And I testified two weeks ago in front of Congress, and you've got Democrats keep saying, well, most of the fatanyls smuggled through the port of entry. Wrong, most of the fatanyl seize that a port of entry.
Because every vehicle start off, every drivers spoken to, they got a CBP targeting system intelligence database which I can't tell you what's in it, but when you push that number license plate number in they may tell you this real cre You might want a second during looks that closer. But between a port of entry, when ninety percent of the ages are off the line, the criminal cart going
to use the system less enforcement law enforcement options. That's between the port of entry, so that criminal cartels have control of our southern border. And that's just scared to hell out every March.
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Go to www dot Border ninety one one dot com and look at what we're doing. I got I have the best team of border security experts in the world. Why because most of us created that secure border, the most secure border lifetime, and most of us has been over three decades doing border control work. So come take
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No matter what your opinion is on illeg immigration, when you get to that voting booths, you need to vote for border security because of the fatanyl, because of the terrorism, because of the sex trafficking, all those other bad things that happen because of illegal immigration. So we're want to spend the next ten months of educating American people that border security matters and make sure that's in your decision makers on election day.
Tom thanks for your service to the country and your time today.
Good to see you, Thanks, thanks for having me