Donald Trump’s border czar says he is in talks with third-party nations to take deported migrants

Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, signaled Sunday that he is close to finding a nation that will take in deported migrants whose home countries won’t accept them.

The plan is a key part of Trump’s plan for what he calls the “largest deportation in history.”

But it comes with a catch. What to do with illegal immigrants from countries that don’t want them back?

Homan told DailyMail.com that he is already in negotiations to find an alternative destination in countries willing to host them.

‘I’m not waiting for January 20 [when Trump is inaugurated]Homan said. ‘We are already in discussions. So we will find a third country.

“Until they sign an agreement, which we have, I’m not going to take credit.”

The idea has been floating around Washington DC for months, inspired in part by how Britain struck a deal with the small African country of Rwanda to house refugees.

However, that plan was hampered by round after round of legal challenges and ultimately abandoned this year by Keir Starmer’s new Labor government.

Trump promised the largest deportation in history when he took office on January 20. Migrants from Ecuador and India sit together near a fire awaiting their arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents after crossing part of the border wall into the U.S. in January. August 5, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona

And a 2019 effort by Trump to send migrants from third countries was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant rights groups, which said sending vulnerable people to unknown countries would put them at risk.

Homan declined to discuss which countries he was in talks with.

But previous reports suggested Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada were possible destinations.

The Bahamas has since ruled out the idea. But Guatemala could offer an alternative after an official told Reuters the country may be open to the idea.

Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the cornerstone of his re-election campaign.

And Homan, a former police officer and acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, will play a key role.

He said Trump had given him three priorities: securing the border; launching a deportation action; and locating what he says are 300,000 undocumented children who went missing in the US

“Everything changes on January 20,” Homan said during a roundtable discussion with donors and supporters in Naples, Florida.

Tackling illegal immigration was a key part of Trump’s campaign, making Homan one of his top picks in administration

He admitted that it would be difficult to scale up a deportation operation quickly.

“We have limited facilities, but we’re going to do everything we can with what we have,” he said. “I hope Congress takes swift action on the budget.”

He said $86 billion, an amount proposed in Congress, was a good starting point to begin financing needed beds and operating costs.

‘Suppose someone is illegal. Let’s say he’s a criminal. He was convicted of murder, originally from El Salvador,” he said.

“I can’t put him on a plane on day one. You have to hold it long enough to get travel documents and landing rights. El Salvador must admit that it is their citizen.

‘That takes a few days to a few weeks. So I need beds.’

Which beds were occupied for about 30 days straight, he said he needed thousands more.

“That’s why every interview I did, I said I had to get the money from Congress,” he said.

“I think Congress got a strong message in November. The American people want this to happen, so make it happen. Give us the money we need.