Since leaving government, Thomas Homan has been a regular guest on Fox News to discuss immigration issues. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo immigration Former ICE official Homan surprised by Trump’s ‘border czar’ announcement

President Donald Trump’s pick to become “border czar” was surprised to be name-checked by the president Friday, according to a person familiar with the situation.

During a lengthy phone interview on “Fox & Friends,” Trump said he will bring back former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan for a new border role.


The public attention caught Homan off-guard, and it's not yet clear he’ll take the job, the person said.

“Tom Homan’s coming back,” Trump said Friday. “He’s going to be very much involved with the border.”

The White House for months has weighed the possibility of creating a “czar” position to coordinate immigration issues across various federal agencies. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli reportedly was considered for the role, but instead became acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director.

“He’ll be reporting directly to me,” Trump said of Homan. “He’ll be probably be working out of the White House but spending a lot of time at the border.”

Homan could not immediately be reached for comment. CNN first reported Friday that he was surprised by Trump’s announcement.

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The president said on “Fox & Friends“ that he could have made the announcement next week, but that he’d “rather announce it now.”

Trump offered the job to Homan several weeks ago, POLITICO reported last month. But the former ICE director turned it down then because it didn’t come with enough authority. Homan has also told associates that he’s reluctant to rejoin the administration because threats were made to his family when he was at ICE.

The possibility that Homan could rejoin the Trump administration follows a shakeup at the Homeland Security Department that saw the departure of several top officials, including former Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Homan also has been mentioned as a candidate for that role, although Senate confirmation could be a challenge.

Homan — a career law enforcement official — gained a reputation as a pugnacious defender of Trump’s immigration policies after he was named acting ICE director in January 2017.

He was nominated in November 2017 to take the job permanently, but the Senate never took up his nomination. Homan retired in May 2018 and became a regular guest on Fox News to discuss immigration issues.

Anita Kumar contributed to this report.

