White House Border Czar Tom Homan visited Indiana on Tuesday to tout successes under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — and urge Hoosier lawmakers to pass a bill they killed earlier this year.
“We’re going to send a message to the whole world. It’s not okay to enter this country illegally. It’s a crime,” he said. He spoke as part of a “Fairness for Hoosiers” event at the Statehouse.
Republican lawmakers and other attendees cheered and clapped throughout Homan’s 20-minute speech, while a small group of Westside Indianapolis residents protested the visit.
“Hoosier hospitality for every nationality!” they called from across the Statehouse, on the other side of a security line that only attendees, state employees and reporters could cross. Initially the event was set to be held in the public atrium but it was moved at the last minute to the House Chamber, and public and media weren’t allowed inside. It was livestreamed for Hoosiers.
Homan, who was acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, said the president gave him three tasks after winning back the White House.
“One, secure the border. Two, run the largest deportation operation this country’s seen. Three, find over 300,000 missing children,” Homan recounted.
Border crossings have dropped from more than 10,000 daily to less than 100 last Friday, he said — and all were detained or deported.
Deportations have ticked up to nearly 550,000 since Trump re-took office in late January, per Homan. Another 1.6 million people have self-deported.
The search for unaccompanied child migrants is ongoing.
Homan accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of “allow(ing) half a million children to be trafficked” across the border and of “releas(ing) them to unvetted sponsors.”
Republicans have claimed that upwards of 300,000 children were “lost” beginning last summer, after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a report showing that ICE didn’t serve notices to appear in court to 291,000 children and that another 32,000 were notified but failed to show up for immigration court hearings. The data is from October 2018 to September 2023.
“I told the president, out of the three things you gave me, this is the hardest,” Homan said. “And why is that? Because we can find you. We can find me. We have a digital footprint. You own a home, you got a car, you got credit cards, you pay utility bills.
“How do we find a child? Well, we have to count on the paperwork of the sponsor. If that paperwork wasn’t vetted and done right, that’s almost useless too. So we’re out there every day looking for these children,” he continued.
Homan said almost 24,000 have been “rescued,” adding, “We’re not going to stop until we run every lead down.”
Immigration bill revived
Homan was the final — and highest-profile — speaker to push lawmakers into passing a controversial, previously unsuccessful immigration bill.
Attorney General Todd Rokita and Gov. Mike Braun — along with lobbyist and former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf — also plugged it.
“The FAIRNESS Act is the next step to protecting Hoosiers communities. It will further strengthen immigration enforcement and give (Rokita) the tools to protect our citizens. Indiana is not a sanctuary state,” Braun posted on social media.
House Bill 1531 would have required all levels of Hoosier government to comply with federal detainer requests. ICE often asks local police and others to keep “potentially dangerous aliens” behind bars for 48 hours longer so it can take them into custody.
If Rokita had labeled a government entity as noncompliant, Braun could’ve withheld state funding and grants for up to a year.
“The fact of the matter is, there is no country, and therefore no Indiana, if we don’t have a defined border, one language and a common culture,” Rokita said.
The legislation also would’ve banned employers from “knowingly or intentionally” recruiting, hiring or employing people not allowed to work in the U.S. Violators could’ve had their operating authorizations suspended.
“This is critical to protect our workers and end the magnet that draws illegal immigration to our factories and communities,” Rokita said. “It’s pro-business, it’s pro-worker, and it’s pro-Hoosier legislation.”
The bill passed the House on a 64-26 vote, but died after the Senate Judiciary Committee declined to hold a hearing. Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, leads the committee.
Rokita called her out by name, telling the audience, “That decision set us back at least a full year. We can’t afford further delays.”
Author Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, plans to reintroduce the legislation, now named the FAIRNESS Act: Fostering and Advancing Immigration Reforms Necessary to Ensure Safety and Security. The next regular legislative session begins in January.
“Hopefully that becomes law, folks,” Homan said.
“If you would, please help President Trump,” he added. “I think it’s a great bill.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
