The numbers coming out of the Department of Homeland Security this week mark a stunning turnaround in U.S. immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s return to power — and deportation czar Tom Homan isn’t pulling any punches about what it means for national security, public safety, and America’s future.
According to Homan, the U.S. is on pace to deport over 600,000 illegal migrants by the end of the year — the highest number in modern history. Speaking with Fox News and Axios, Homan described an immigration enforcement operation that is now running at full speed. And the message couldn’t be clearer: no one is off the table.
“We are prioritizing public safety threats [and] national security threats,” Homan explained. “But if we find you, we’re going to arrest you.”
The scale of the operation is massive — not just in arrests, but in deterrence. Since January 20, DHS reports that 1.4 million illegal migrants have self-deported, a dramatic spike fueled by the very real fear of detention, deportation, and fines. It’s a sign that Trump’s hardline policies are doing what critics said was impossible: reversing the flow of illegal migration not just through force, but through deterrence.
Homan didn’t just speak in abstract terms — he put hard data behind the claims. Under Trump’s current term, illegal border crossings are down 96%. Not only is that a national security achievement, but it’s a humanitarian one as well. Fewer crossings mean fewer deaths. Under the Biden administration, over 4,000 migrants died making the dangerous trek north. That number has now plummeted.
DHS agents had to smash the windows to detain Juan illegal alien in Cicero today. The usual local thugs were there to harass the agents, but no Juan is stopping these deportations! pic.twitter.com/gdUnMVjCb1
— Kim “Katie” USA (@KimKatieUSA) October 28, 2025
Meanwhile, fentanyl deaths — which reached a staggering quarter-million under Biden — are also expected to drop as tighter borders reduce the flow of illicit drugs. Sex trafficking, another horrifying symptom of open-border chaos, has likewise seen a sharp decline.
But it’s the “gotaways” that Homan sees as the gravest national security failure of the last administration. An estimated 2.1 million individuals crossed the U.S. border without ever being stopped, identified, or processed. They disappeared into the country without a trace. As Homan bluntly put it: “We don’t know who they are, where they came from, why they’re here, or where they are now.”
That’s not just mismanagement — it’s a security breach on a scale most nations would consider unacceptable.
But that’s what’s changed. Under the Trump-Homan framework, ICE and CBP are not just reacting — they’re rebuilding a national immigration strategy that puts law, order, and American sovereignty first. With billions in congressional funding and expanded operations in major cities, the infrastructure for sustained enforcement is back in place.
And the public is taking notice.
As agents arrest more and more high-risk individuals — and as word spreads among illegal migrant networks — the pressure to leave voluntarily is growing. Homan’s prediction that arrest rates will “double or triple” in the coming months is more than rhetoric; it reflects a fully resourced federal strategy with political backing at the highest levels.
The contrast with the last four years is jarring. Under Biden, cartels flourished, fentanyl flowed, and the border spiraled out of control. Under Trump, the numbers are reversing, the mission is clear, and, as Homan put it, “We have operational control of the border.”
