Former acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement head Tom Homan said on Saturday that he wouldn’t be accepting the position of “border czar” in the Trump administration, despite President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday.
Homan, who is now a Fox News contributor, appeared on Fox News’ “Cavuto Live” on Saturday to clear the air.
“I think the White House has made it clear it was kind of premature,” Homan said, likely referring to a Friday CNN report on the confusion.
Homan, who previously served as Trump’s acting ICE chief, told Fox News host Neil Cavuto that he turned down the czar job when former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen offered it to him because he “didn’t think the job was structured right” and “didn’t have the proper authority.”
“I think any sort of border czar needs to be a person who can coordinate an all-government response to the border,” Homan said. “So when I first had the discussions, that wasn’t the way it was set up and I certainly don’t want to come back and fail this President.”
“I don’t think they should create another policy position that’s not going to have an effectiveness on this border, so as of right now, I have not accepted the job, but the discussions will continue,” he added.
During a freewheeling “Fox and Friends” interview on Friday, Trump announced that Homan would serve as the border czar and be “very much involved in the border.”
However, the President seemingly forgot to inform Homan himself, who was taken aback by the announcement.
“Apparently he didn’t run that by you,” Cavuto said to Homan.
“Well look, I respect this President greatly, and I’ll never say never,” he responded.
Watch Homan speak below:
Ex-ICE director Tom Homan contradicts Trump's announcement that he'll be the new border czar: "As of right now, I am not accepting the job, but those discussions will continue" pic.twitter.com/7xg7w2udxW
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) June 15, 2019
