Trump Border Czar Tom Homan delivered a blow to farmers and hoteliers looking for reassurance less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump said “we have to take care” of them.
President Trump and his administration have whiplashed in recent days from rounding up agricultural and hotel workers to feinting at not doing that, back to doing that again.
But during a flagpole-installing photo op Wednesday, Trump offered some ambiguous reassurances when he was pressed on the issue, telling reporters “Now, look, we have to take care of our farmers. We have to take care of people that run leisure hotels. I mean, we got to take care of them. But most importantly, we have to get the criminals out of our country.”
Homan gaggled with reporters on the driveway to the West Wing of the White House Thursday morning, and told reporters that “worksite enforcement” will continue — “even at farms and hotels”:
REPORTER: Mr. Homan, what do you say to farmers who are growing increasingly concerned that immigration enforcement is going to hurt their ability to do their jobs and thus not be able to do as much as they want?TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: Well, first of all, there’s a right way and wrong way to hire workers. There are legal programs to bring farm workers in.Second of all I’ve been saying for years Congress needs to address this. But because Congress rarely
does this, it doesn’t mean we ignore it.It’s illegal to hire, knowingly hire an illegal in.But like I just talked about a few minutes ago, worksite enforcement, worksite enforcement operations are just like at-large operations. We’re going to base them on priorities, right?For those we have a criminal nexus of trafficking, of forced labor. Of a tax fraud or tax evasion. I mean, we will concentrate on worksites on a prioritized basis just like we do at large operations.So anything, let’s just go find, (INAUDIBLE) illegal aliens. We’ll prioritize those who have a criminal nexus for us.REPORTER: Just one quick follow up, on Thursday ICE told agents to hold off on investigations of farms and hotels, absence of other sort of criminality. Is this ICE acting on their own–.TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: ICE was not, ICE is enforcing the laws enacted by Congress. worksite enforcement operations is an important part of the work we do.Again, where do we find most victims of trafficking? worksite. Joe Biden stopped worksite. They said they cared about sex trafficking and forced labor trafficking. Then they stopped worksite enforcement. That was a dumb move.REPORTER: So what was that email from Tatum King?TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN: It’s a matter of messaging, proper messaging. The message is clear now. That we’re going to continue doing worksite enforcement operations. Even onfarms and hotels. But based on prioritized basis, criminals come first.
Watch above via C-SPAN.