The White House's "border czar," Tom Homan, has come forward to defend the swift deportation of British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who was removed from the United States just a day after his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Yiannopoulos, 41, was apprehended at an airport in New Orleans and was swiftly deported to the UK.
Homan, speaking on CNN's State of the Union, maintained that Yiannopoulos had overstayed his visitor visa and did not appear at an immigration hearing, leading to a final order of removal on July 22. He emphasized that ICE's role was to execute the order once it was issued by a federal judge.
"The judge ordered him deported. So, once ICE gets an order of deportation from a federal judge, their job is to execute that order, and that's what they did," Homan stated. He also noted that Yiannopoulos had his due process and was ordered removed by a federal judge, which is why ICE executed the order.
The quick removal of Yiannopoulos, which occurred one day after his arrest, has sparked questions about whether he received preferential treatment. However, Homan argued that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, was working to expedite the deportation process for all individuals.
"Once a judge orders them out, rather than being in detention, waiting for travel documents and flight arrangements, we – ICE, along with the [border patrol] and [DHS] – [are] working really good on the efficiencies of the removal process," Homan explained. He added that the goal was to remove individuals as quickly as possible to open up beds for more detainees.
The arrest and subsequent deportation of Yiannopoulos were quickly publicized by the DHS. Yiannopoulos's name was removed from the ICE detention list by Saturday morning, and the DHS confirmed his deportation to the UK on Friday, one day after his arrest.
DHS officials highlighted Yiannopoulos's arrest, with a release stating, "He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws." The release also mentioned the administration's efforts to ensure that aliens in the country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of the country to self-deport.
CNN host Dana Bash inquired whether right-wing influencer Laura Loomer had tipped off ICE about Yiannopoulos's expired permission to be in the U.S. Homan replied that many people had tipped off ICE, and while Loomer claimed to be one of them, it did not matter. "He was ordered removed by an immigration judge, and ICE's job it to execute that order," Homan emphasized.
Homan also denied that the Trump administration had made an example of Yiannopoulos to send a message. "We don't deport people based on political affiliation," he said, suggesting that the deportation was solely due to Yiannopoulos's violation of immigration laws.
The swift and controversial deportation of Yiannopoulos has once again brought the issue of immigration enforcement and due process to the forefront of public discourse, with critics questioning whether the process was fair and whether political considerations played a role in the decision.
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