How Trump’s ‘border czar’ views his mass expulsion plan: from the politburo

Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, political reporter Alec Hernández sifts through 20 interviews that Donald Trump’s new ‘border czar,’ Tom Homan, conducted to get a clearer picture of his mass deportation plans . Plus, chief political analyst Chuck Todd details the opportunities and challenges facing Mike Duggan’s independent bid for Michigan governor.

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Tom Homan speaks to conservative media to outline Trump’s mass deportation plan

By Alec Hernández

President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to fill top posts in his next administration have generally stayed off the airwaves to avoid any verbal errors that could hurt their chances of being confirmed by the Senate.

This is not the case for Tom Homan.

Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, was tapped to become the White House’s new “border czar.” The position does not require Senate confirmation, meaning Homan has the freedom to broadcast cable news and conservative media and promote Trump’s agenda.

Over the past month, he has conducted at least 20 interviews, all of which were reviewed by NBC News. Tasked with coordinating Trump’s main campaign promise of mass deportation, Homan used his appearances to begin detailing how the effort could take shape and how the administration will advance its plan. While far from painting a complete picture, the interviews provided more detail than has been offered on deportation policy in the past.

Use US Army: During the campaign, Trump suggested his administration could use the military for deportations, and he considered moving U.S. troops from abroad to station them at the southern border.

During an appearance on SiriusXM’s “The David Webb Show” on Nov. 12, Homan said he sees the military’s potential role as being most useful for tasks that don’t require immigration authority explicit.

The Department of Defense “has assisted several administrations at the border. They could be a force multiplier,” Homan said. The military, he continued, “could be used to help relieve law enforcement officers of their administrative duties so that they can take to the streets and do what they are supposed to do “.

Where does the funding come from: A major outstanding question is how the new Trump administration would finance a large-scale deportation program. Homan, who will have no official authority over the amount of funding he will have for his efforts, said Trump has pledged the financial support needed to keep his promise.

“Well, $86 billion is the minimum,” Homan said Sunday of the cost of eviction on Fox Business’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” noting that the administration would need help from Congress for the funding.

Cooperation (or lack of cooperation) with local authorities: Given the immense scope of the operation sought by Trump, Homan expressed the need for support from local authorities to carry out his immigration plans. But several Democratic leaders have already signaled their intention to resist and prevent agencies like ICE from operating on their territory.

While Homan has often been pressed in his television appearances to respond to these vows of noncooperation, a pattern has emerged in the way he signals that the administration will handle the resistance: promises to step up efforts to expulsion in the face of opposition and threats of consequences, including prosecution, for those who obstruct the administration’s efforts.

“Law enforcement should work with law enforcement,” Homan said in an interview on Fox News on November 11.

“I’ve seen some of these Democratic governors say they’re going to get in the way. They’re going to make our job harder. One suggestion: If you don’t want to help us, get out, because we’re going to do it,” he said.

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Read more about Trump’s immigration plans: The new Trump administration intends to repeal a longstanding policy that prevents ICE agents from arresting undocumented people in or near so-called sensitive locations, including places of worship, schools and hospitals, or at events such as funerals, weddings and public events. without the approval of supervisors. Read more →

Is the rise of independents coming? An experiment is being prepared on a key battlefield

By Chuck Todd

While most of Washington is obsessed with either Donald Trump’s transition reality show or concerns and blame games over the Democrats’ electoral defeat, a potentially critical political story is brewing in Michigan.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan shocked the state’s political world by announcing he would run for governor in 2026 – but not as a Democrat, the party of which he has been an active and prominent member for 40 years . Instead, he will run for the position as an independentthus avoiding a potentially crowded and divisive Democratic primary.

The list of Democrats who could seek to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has no shortage of prominent names: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Duggan all appeared to be top three candidates to some . time, quietly preparing for races throughout 2024.

In my experience, most independent candidates who ran and won as Democrats or Republicans, but then changed candidates, do so out of political necessity. That is, they don’t think they can get a fair share of primary voters, or they fear that the partisans and positions they plan to take will only work in a general election but would be a problem in primaries.

The hurdles to winning as an independent are so much higher that it’s not a path of least resistance. In Michigan, there’s an even bigger hurdle: It’s a state that still allows straight-ticket voting, in which a voter can simply pull a lever or bubble in a circle for a major party to indicate their vote for every supporter on the ballot.

So what are the benefits for Duggan? The most important probably include financial support. Some of his biggest supporters aren’t traditional Democratic donors, like Rocket Mortgage founder Dan Gilbert and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

Having the support of Gilbert and Dimon might be good policy in a general election, but it would not be welcomed by many Democratic activist voters. Plus, Duggan broke his share of eggs trying to clean up and reform Detroit. He got high marks, but he had quite a few run-ins with key city Democrats, who might be more inclined to oppose him in a gubernatorial primary (and as a lame-duck mayor) than ‘they weren’t in the city. policy.

Duggan therefore most likely viewed the primary as both a math problem and a position problem. A knife fight for the Democratic nomination against experienced and respected Poles like Benson, Gilchrist or even Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – a wild card who moved to the state after the 2020 election and has now resided there for quite a long time to meet Michigan’s constitutional requirements to run. for state office in 2026 — would likely cause all sorts of cultural and identity divisions that could harm a potential candidate.

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That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. If you have any comments (like or dislike), please email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

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