‘Shock and awe’: Trump’s Border Czar ominously teases what to expect during Trump’s second term

As if the future of the U.S. couldn’t get any more dystopian, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Tom Homan, just hinted at a frightening future for immigrants—and in the most bone-chilling way possible.

Last night, I watched Ridley Scott’s Gladiator for the first time in preparation for the sequel. Of all the film’s iconic moments, one particular quote from Senator Gracchus (Derek Jacobi) has lingered at the forefront of my mind: “He [Commodus] will give them death, and they will love him for it.” Why? Because from the sound of it, a second Trump presidency is well on-track to endanger the lives of migrants, many of whom cross into America to flee violence—and often as a last resort.

Similar to his first campaign, Trump has been extremely vocal about his zero tolerance stance on illegal immigration in recent months. This time around, Trump & Co. have teased “the biggest deportation” in U.S. history, with plans to create mass detainment centers on top of finally delivering on his decade-old promise to “build the wall” along the southwest border. I mean, what better way to use $15 billion worth of taxpayer dollars than by building a glorified security fence that barely even works?!

And Trump’s former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a.k.a. the “Border Czar,” is only revving things up for his second term in office.

Tom Homan blames ‘treasonous’ Joe Biden for America’s immigration crisis

During a recent appearance on Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s son’s podcast (which may possibly be the worst sentence ever written), Homan was asked about what Americans can expect to see in regards to border enforcement upon Trump’s return to the White House. His response? “Shock and awe.” Totally normal and not at all creepy…right?

During the first Trump administration, Homan, an ex-Border Patrol agent and ICE official, faced criticism for his track record of cruel family separations. Now that Republicans will control both the House and the Senate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more of this, especially given that these government agencies are likely to receive increased funding. “Congress is going to have to give a massive amount of detention beds,” Homan said, alluding to even more ICE officers and fiscal resources.

Homan’s latest remarks fall in line with Trump’s announcement that he will declare a national emergency to tackle illegal border-crossings, so if this is all feeling eerily reminiscent of The Boys’ season 4 finale, that’s because it is.

Trump’s anti-immigration platform is full of hypocrisy

It’s worth noting that under the Biden administration, a historic high of migrant encounters have taken place at the border, though millions of these cases are in active removal proceedings, per the Migration Policy Institute. Not only has Biden taken measures to expand temporary humanitarian protections, but he’s also tried—and failed—to help undocumented immigrants obtain U.S. citizenship, something Trump intends to double down on…despite his wife being born in Slovenia.

We’re about to see a lot more of the dehumanizing “migrants are dangerous criminals” rhetoric in the next four years. So even though Homan claims that his department will take a “targeted approach” by apprehending migrants who are “national security threats” first, I doubt his policy is going to be nearly as “humane” as he’s promised in the long-term. Who knows? DACA recipients, DREAMers, and other documented immigrants could be next on the chopping block.

As Homan travels to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence to put the “final touches” on his immigration plan, I’m once again reminded of Gracchus’ grim warning: “He will give them death, and they will love him for it.” Mass deportation, child separations, and the end of birthright citizenship will set a dangerous precedent for how migrants are treated moving forward as hyper-nationalism continues to spread—both here and abroad.