Tom Homan, former ICE director, has sparked controversy with his recent announcement to “deputize” every U.S. citizen in an effort to locate 340,000 missing immigrant children. Homan, who has come out of retirement to work as a “border czar” for former President Trump, proposed enlisting the public to help find these children by encouraging them to act on their “gut feelings” if they suspect a child is being trafficked or kidnapped. This plan, presented on Victory News, has raised eyebrows due to its vagueness and potential for dangerous consequences.
Homan’s idea hinges on the premise that parents, based on intuition, could spot a child in distress and take action. While this sounds well-intentioned, it raises serious questions about the practicality and risks involved in relying on the general public to make such determinations. Could this lead to wrongful interventions or even vigilante actions? The notion of “deputizing” every citizen, a term Homan used without explaining its legal basis, has left many scratching their heads. In reality, U.S. marshals can only deputize ordinary citizens temporarily in specific circumstances, such as for law enforcement purposes, not for broad public involvement.
Moreover, the claim that 340,000 children are “missing” is highly misleading. According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, the issue lies in the lack of consistent monitoring of unaccompanied migrant children after they were released from federal custody, not that the children are necessarily “lost” or missing in the conventional sense.
Homan’s proposal has drawn support from some, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, but it appears to be a deeply flawed and unrealistic approach, with little clarity on what would happen after citizens are “deputized” and what role they would play in locating these children. Ultimately, the plan seems to be more of a politically charged stunt than a well-thought-out solution.