President Donald Trump’s top immigration official, Tom Homan, made it clear this week that the administration will keep deporting people, even if courts say otherwise. Speaking in an interview, Homan said the government has no plans to slow down.
"We're not stopping," Homan told Fox News. "I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the left thinks. We're coming."
The comments come after several court orders tried to pause the deportations. One order, issued just days ago, stopped planes that were sending people back to El Salvador. The flights included people suspected of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Judges Try to Block Flights
One judge, Chief U.S. Judge James Boasberg, ordered that the flights return to the U.S. He said they were sent out under an old law from 1798 called the Alien Enemies Act. This law hasn’t been used much since World War II.
Trump had issued a proclamation the day before, saying that gang members from Tren de Aragua posed a serious threat and should be deported quickly. The administration used this law to send out over 300 people.
But Boasberg’s order tried to stop those flights. His ruling has now led to a legal battle over whether the Trump administration can keep using this method to remove people from the country.
Legal Debate Grows
The administration says the people on the planes are threats to national security. But lawyers for some of the individuals say they weren’t given a fair legal process. Now, court hearings are expected to continue all week.
Four senators from the Senate Judiciary Committee released a joint statement. They said, “We are not at war, and immigrants are not invading our country.” They also reminded the public that judges decide if someone has broken the law... not just a president or immigration agents.
El Salvador Paid to Accept Deportees
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration gave El Salvador $6 million to accept 261 Venezuelans who were deported last weekend. She also said the administration followed the law because the flights happened before the court’s written order.
When reporters asked about a verbal order that came earlier, Leavitt said there were questions about whether that type of order carries legal weight like a written one.
Homan Defends the Decision
Tom Homan said he helped organize the flights and kept them moving even after court actions. He said the planes had already left U.S. airspace and were in international waters by the time the court order was given.
"We’re outside the borders of the United States," he said. "I'm the border czar. Once you're outside the border, you know, it is what it is."
Homan added that he believed they were following the president’s orders and doing the right thing.
More Deportations Coming
Outside the White House, Homan told reporters the country should be celebrating what he called a win for public safety.
"We removed terrorists. That should be a celebration," he said. When asked how the administration knew these people were dangerous, Homan said it came from multiple investigations. He didn’t go into detail, saying that the methods used were private law enforcement tools.
He did mention that social media, criminal records, and international files helped identify the individuals being deported.
Clashes with the Courts
Homan said the White House and Department of Homeland Security are planning to keep the deportation efforts moving. When asked what’s next, he replied, "Another flight. Another flight every day."
He also said teams of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will keep working across the country. “They’re in neighborhoods arresting criminal illegal aliens, public safety threats, and national security threats. They’re not going to stop us.”
Next Steps in a Divided Debate
This battle between the Trump administration and the courts is not likely to end soon. Legal experts are watching closely to see how the situation unfolds. Some say it’s a test of how much power the president has over immigration, especially when judges disagree.
Many supporters of Trump see the deportations as a strong move to protect the country. Critics say it’s a step too far and breaks legal boundaries.
As more court hearings happen and more flights are planned, this issue is expected to stay in the headlines. Both sides are digging in, and the debate is heating up in Washington and across the country.
Keywords: Trump deportation, immigration news, Tom Homan, border czar, ICE operations, mass deportation, national security, USA politics