FIRST ON FOX: Incoming border czar Tom Homan is not backing down from his plans to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation in Chicago after a Democratic congresswoman told him to "be ready to meet the resistance."
"Message received. Please review 18 USC 111 and also see 8 USC 1324 (iii)," Homan told Fox News Digital in an interview on Wednesday. "Game on."
He was referring to two laws prohibiting impeding a federal law enforcement officer and the other prohibits the harboring or concealing of illegal immigrants from immigration officers.
"So, message received, please review this statute and that statute and game on," he said.
Homan had spoken in Chicago this week and told local Republicans he wanted Illinois Democrats to "come to the table" but if not, to "get the hell out of the way."
That comment sparked a fiery response from Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill.
"Tom Homan, the next time you come to #IL03 —a district made stronger and more powerful by immigrants — you better be ready to meet the resistance," she warned.
"You may think Chicago needs to get out of the way of Trump's plans for mass deportation, but we plan to get ALL UP IN YOUR WAY."
Ramirez’s comments are the latest in a slew of comments by Democratic lawmakers and officials across the country who have promised either not to co-operate with the incoming Trump administration's plans for mass deportations or to resist them entirely.
Last month, the mayor of Denver said he was willing to go to jail over the opposition to the deportations. Homan had responded to the statement by the mayor by saying he was willing to jail him, noting the same statutes he pointed to when speaking to Fox Digital.
On Wednesday, he described Ramirez’s opposition as opposition that would stop the arrests of public safety threats.
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"President Trump and I have been clear on every interview I do, that right out of the gate, we're going to be prioritizing public safety threats," Homan said. "Any elected official who wants to prevent the removal of public safety threats from their communities, especially if they're illegal aliens, is not doing their job. Because their job, their number one responsibility to their communities is protection of that community, the safety of that community."
"No one should be arguing against removing public safety threats, and I find it just incredible that she supports more criminals, especially in Chicago for God's sake," he said.
He said that the administration will also be prioritizing the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has spread across the country and has established a presence in Chicago along with other gangs.
"I would not say every criminal in Chicago is an illegal alien, but some are, many are. So let's not only take them out of the community. Let's take them out of the country."
"So, game on," he said.
