Former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan guessed as to why the topic of immigration was not brought up during Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate.
None of the six candidates onstage were asked or spoke about immigration throughout the two-hour debate in Iowa — despite it being one of the most prioritized issues within the Trump administration. Homan, who is a hawk on immigration enforcement and a supporter of the administration, surmised that the topic wasn’t discussed because President Donald Trump has “taken them to school” on border issues.
“I mean, what are they going to say?” Homan said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.”
“They are going to say that they have been [beaten] by this president despite the resistance, despite every one of those candidates throwing out enticements of free medical care, a pathway to citizenship, [abolishing] ICE, getting rid of detention,” the former ICE acting director said. “Despite their enticements, this president – on his own – has gotten illegal crossing down 72% from the high in May.”
Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee’s Border and Marine Security subcommittee on Capitol Hill on May 22, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
“What are they going to say? They have failed,” he continued. “The president has taken them to school without their help.”
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials conducted over 144,000 enforcement operations along the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2019, when the border crisis reached its peak. Apprehensions along the border have dropped considerably since that time, with December marking the seventh straight month of declines. Notably, December’s 40,620 enforcement actions equated to a 72% drop from May’s numbers.
Much of this decline follows several initiates the Trump administration launched, such as the “Remain in Mexico” program and asylum agreements reached with the Northern Triangle countries in Central America.
Homan is not the only one to credit the Trump administration for unilaterally stemming the border crisis. Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan directly contributed the drop to policies the Trump administration implemented when speaking to reporters Tuesday and said the accomplishments were made without help from Congress. (RELATED: House Democrats Launch Investigation Into Trump’s ‘Remain In Mexico’ Program)
The former ICE director said the steep drop in border apprehensions leaves beneficial consequences that aren’t necessarily seen.
“And, look, when I talk about the 72% decline, what people aren’t talking about, Brian [Kilmeade], is how many women weren’t raped [following a] 72% decline in illegal immigration,” Homan said. “How many children haven’t died? How many millions of dollars did the cartels not make?”
WATCH:
“That’s something no one is talking about,” he said.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.