Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed Wednesday that members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet are actively lobbying him to grant some form of legal status to illegal immigrants currently in the country.
Speaking with CBS News, Homan was asked whether he would support a deal that gives legal status to millions of people here illegally who are “otherwise law-abiding.” He declined to answer directly.
“I’m not gonna get ahead of the President on that,” Homan said. “The President’s talking to various members of his cabinet, there’s discussions going on. I’m involved in some, but not others.”
Homan did not name which cabinet members are pushing the amnesty option.
Business groups have been pushing Rep. Maria Salazar’s “Dignidad” bill, which would create a pathway to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants while opening up large-scale labor inflows for industries including food service, hotels, and real estate. Many Democrats also support the measure, arguing it would benefit their urban political base.
Pollster Rich Baris said Wednesday he participated in a White House polling project that he claims was manipulated to manufacture apparent MAGA support for amnesty. Baris said organizers asked him how to word questions to inflate apparent support and suggested presenting combined results in ways that would make the amnesty push appear popular with Trump’s base.
“Why don’t we word it like this? Why don’t we report it to the President like this?” Baris quoted participants as asking, according to his account. He said he only agreed to participate after receiving assurances the results would not be sent to Trump without his sign-off.
Meanwhile, Homan’s cabinet colleague, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, reported that deportation operations have accelerated.
“Over the last seven days, we’ve deported over 3,000 a day,” Mullin told host Scott Jennings on Wednesday. “We’re moving strong, we’re just trying to do it in a different, lower-profile approach.”
Trump has not publicly addressed the amnesty discussions. His administration has made mass deportation a centerpiece of its immigration policy since taking office.
