Heritage Foundation Welcomes Tom Homan, Former Acting ICE Director, as New Visiting Fellow

Heritage Foundation Welcomes Tom Homan, Former Acting ICE Director, as New Visiting Fellow

Feb 14, 2022 3 min read

Credit: Erin Granzow

WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation announced Monday that Tom Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will join The Heritage Foundation as a visiting fellow starting Feb. 14. 

Homan has a long and distinguished career in law enforcement at the state and federal level, including 35 years in border enforcement. He served as acting director of ICE from January 2017 to June 2018. Prior to this role, he was the director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). He has also held positions with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol, and began his law enforcement career as a police officer in West Carthage, New York.  

Heritage President Kevin Roberts released the following statement about Homan’s joining Heritage:  

“A nation without borders is no nation at all. Heritage is leading the fight to stop the Biden administration’s dismantling of our borders and undo the damage this president has already caused. I can think of no better man to help us lead that fight than Tom Homan, who will join our incredible homeland security team that includes patriots and DHS alums Lora Ries, Mark Morgan, and Mike Howell. At a time when our current DHS secretary is bragging about ‘fundamentally changing’ interior enforcement of immigration laws, leaders like Tom are more important than ever. Make no mistake—Heritage is going to fight tooth and nail to stop the Biden administration’s open-borders schemes. I look forward to the victories we’re going to achieve with Tom on board.” 

Lora Ries, Heritage senior research fellow and former DHS acting deputy chief of staff:  

“If the United States is going to have an immigration system with any shred of integrity, it must focus not just on securing our borders, but also enforcing our laws and removing individuals who have broken those laws and entered our country illegally. Tom is uniquely positioned to speak to these issues, having served in meaningful enforcement roles throughout his career. He can help lead this country back to a lawful and orderly immigration system.” 

Mark Morgan, former acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner and Heritage visiting fellow:  

“I have known Tom for a long time, and let me tell you, he loves this country and he supports the men and women of our law enforcement agencies more than anyone else I know. The current leadership at DHS and in the Biden administration have made clear that they do not care about the consequences of their open-borders policies, either for the country, or for federal law enforcement. Tom refuses to accept this new status quo, and I look forward to working with him in the coming months to hold accountable this White House, DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and those helping implement their radical immigration, America-last agenda.” 

For a sense of how devoted Homan is to securing our borders, upholding the rule of law, and supporting the men and women of federal law enforcement, look no further than his passionate testimony on Capitol Hill during the 2019 crisis—and his response to lawmakers uninterested in solutions.  

Press inquiries and booking requests can be sent to John Cooper, Heritage director of media and public relations, [email protected]

As the nation’s largest, most broadly supported conservative research and educational institution, The Heritage Foundation has been leading the American conservative movement since our founding in 1973. More than 500,000 members support our vision to build an America where freedom, prosperity, opportunity, and civil society flourish. 

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