Trump's ICE chief loves his deportation force

No Images? Click here         Trump’s ICE Chief Loves His Deportation Force — And Thinks You Should Too The day Thomas Homan turned the immigration debate on its head, he could have just presented his agency’s budget request like he was asked. The first nine people to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency President Donald Trump picked Homan to lead last January, rarely courted controversy. Most of them were lawyers, adept at the art of bipartisan doublespeak and content to leave policy fights to politicians. They generally described ICE as a national security agency, emphasizing its investigative work and the number of criminals removed, while downplaying its core function: deporting people who pose little or no threat. But last June, when Homan was supposed to be explaining to a House subcommittee why ICE needed a 29 percent budget increase to $7.9 billion, he pierced the bubble of diplomacy that has surrounded the agency since its founding — with a threat.  “If you’re in this country illegally and you committed a crime by entering this country, you should be uncomfortable,” Homan said. “You should look over your shoulder, and you need to be worried.” Those words transformed Homan from a career law enforcement official into the face of Trump’s deportation agenda. In the months that followed, he continued to defend the fact that, under Trump, the crushing weight of immigration law can fall as heavily upon an undocumented parent of American children as it can on a convicted murderer. This January, he went the farthest yet, telling Fox News that the Justice Department should consider prosecuting mayors and city council members who pass so-called “sanctuary” policies that limit local cooperation with ICE. READ MORE     WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? Trump pardoned Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff. Libby was convicted of lying about how he learned of a CIA agent’s identity.  READ MORE In his new memoir, James Comey says he thought hiding news about Hillary Clinton's emails would make her presidency "illegitimate."The former FBI director writes that he assumed Trump would lose and that his wife and daughters voted for Clinton and participated in the Women’s March. READ MORE Blake Farenthold promised to repay your $84,000. Where is it? “We encourage him in the strongest possible terms to uphold that promise,” say his former House colleagues. READ MORE         ICYMI The White House abruptly ordered the EPA to loosen clean air rules in a giveaway for polluters. The executive order puts poor communities and people of color particularly at risk.   A balanced budget amendment failed amid GOP fiscal hypocrisy. Look who suddenly cares about budget deficits!   Ahmed Abdelbasit, a New Jersey teacher who faces a death sentence in Egypt for his pro-democracy activism, was detained last week outside his Jersey City apartment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Three days later, a notice came in the mail saying his asylum case had been transferred to an immigration court.       Want more?  Monopoly Man Photobombs A Senate Hearing   Ace Hardware Resumes Laura Ingraham Advertising, Sparking Outrage   House Leadership Races Bring Out The Most Machiavellian Moves   HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25th 2018 we will be introducing a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. How will Trump’s administration impact you? Sign up for our email and find out. Did a friend send you this? Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Want more? Here are two other newsletters you'll love: The Morning Email and Must Reads. ©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe   - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe