Hand these people over to ICE, says Tom Homan
Incoming Trump "border czar" Tom Homan called on the Aurora chief of police to hand suspected Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents so they can be removed from the country.
The Aurora Police Department arrested 14 suspected TdA gang members in a home invasion Tuesday at an apartment complex that was at the center of a viral video over the summer.
Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain provided an update on the arrests at The Edge at Lowry Apartments, saying the incident was "without question a gang incident."
Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain speaks to the media during a press conference in Aurora, Colorado on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. Chief Chamberlain told reporters that an overnight home invasion resulting in 14 arrests is believed to be a "gang incident." (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Homan said Tuesday on "America Reports" that the only thing missing from Chamberlain’s press conference was an ICE agent standing next to him at the podium.
"So, he's talking the talk, but let's hope he walks the walk and hands these people to ICE when he's done with them, because we can remove them not only from the community but from the country," said Homan. "And if law enforcement officers don't help us do that, we're certainly going to do that starting January 21st."
Homan told Fox News co-anchor John Roberts he’s willing to meet with mayors from blue states to help them get the immigration crisis under control.
VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS LINKED TO VIOLENT APARTMENT TAKEOVER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY
FILE - Asylum-seeking migrants line up in a makeshift, mountainous campsite to be processed after crossing the border with Mexico, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
"I'll meet with anybody because this is about public safety and national security. So let's meet, let's work together. You don't have to be immigration officers. We'll do that. But be cops. Be law enforcement. Be elected representatives for your community," he added. "Love your community a little more than you hate Trump."
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned TdA in July for engaging in "diverse criminal activities, such as human smuggling and trafficking, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illicit drug trafficking."
"As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to target Transnational Criminal Organizations, we will deploy all tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable populations to generate revenue, engage in a range of criminal activities across borders, and abuse the U.S. financial system," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in a statement released by Treasury.
These images from a CBP intelligence bulletin, show tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected TdA members. (ICE)
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations of immigrants who entered the country illegally during the past three and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration when he takes office in January.
"We are going to start the largest mass deportation in the history of our country because we have no choice," Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago press conference in August. "It’s not sustainable. And we’re going to start with violent criminals – and we’re going to start then with criminals, and our local police is going to work with us because they know everything about the people."
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.