You’ve likely seen the clips of Tom Homan. He’s the guy who doesn't blink when talking about mass deportations, the man Donald Trump dubbed his "Border Czar" for the 2025 administration. Because of his hardline reputation, there’s a massive amount of confusion floating around the internet. People often ask, did Tom Homan work for Obama, or is he strictly a product of the Trump era?
The answer is a loud, factual yes. He didn't just work for him; he was one of the most decorated immigration officials during those eight years.
Honestly, it’s one of the most fascinating "wait, really?" facts in modern American politics. While Homan is now the face of the most aggressive border policies in U.S. history, he spent years climbing the ladder under a Democratic president.
The Appointment That Started It All
In 2013, the Obama administration was facing a lot of heat. They were being called "Deporter-in-Chief" by activists, yet critics on the right said they weren't doing enough. Amidst this, Barack Obama appointed Tom Homan to lead the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) branch of ICE.
This wasn't some minor desk job.
As the head of ERO, Homan was basically the guy in charge of the machinery that found, detained, and deported people. He oversaw a massive workforce of nearly 8,000 employees and a budget that would make your head spin—over $3 billion.
👉 See also: Who's the Next Pope: Why Most Predictions Are Basically Guesswork
Under Homan's watch during the Obama years, the agency put up numbers that would shock people today. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of removals every single year. In fact, between 2013 and 2016, Homan’s division removed more than 920,000 individuals.
Why Obama Gave Him a Presidential Award
If you think Homan was some rogue agent during the Obama years, the history books say otherwise. In 2015, President Obama actually gave Tom Homan the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Service.
This is the highest honor a career civil servant can get in the United States.
The White House didn't give him this for being "moderate." They gave it to him because he was efficient. Very efficient. The Washington Post famously wrote a profile on him around that time with a headline that summed it up perfectly: "Thomas Homan deports people. And he’s really good at it."
During the 2014 surge of unaccompanied children at the border, Homan was the one moving the chess pieces. He managed the "surge" by redeploying agents and setting up the detention systems needed to handle the influx. The Obama administration leaned on his 30 years of experience to keep the system from collapsing.
✨ Don't miss: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
The Idea That Changed Everything
Here is where it gets complicated. While Homan was working for Obama, he wasn't just following orders; he was developing the theories that would later define the Trump administration.
Back in 2014, while Obama was in the Oval Office, Homan began arguing behind the scenes that separating families might be the only way to actually stop people from crossing the border. He told journalist Caitlin Dickerson that "most parents don’t want to be separated," and therefore, it would be an effective deterrent.
He basically became the "intellectual father" of the family separation policy years before it became a national firestorm under Trump.
So, when people ask did Tom Homan work for Obama, they often miss the nuance. He was a career guy. He worked for six different presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. He wasn't a "Trump guy" or an "Obama guy"—he was a law enforcement guy who believed the law should be followed to the letter, regardless of who was in the White House.
From Career Official to Border Czar
The transition from Obama to Trump was surprisingly seamless for Homan. While many Obama appointees were shown the door in 2017, Trump actually promoted him. He became the Acting Director of ICE almost immediately after Trump took office.
🔗 Read more: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
The energy changed, though.
Under Obama, Homan’s team focused heavily on "criminal aliens"—people with prior convictions. Under Trump, Homan famously said that everyone in the country illegally "should be afraid." The gloves came off. The statistics shifted. Within his first few months under Trump, arrests jumped by nearly 40%.
By the time he "retired" in 2018 (only to return as Border Czar in 2025), he had become a household name. But that name was built on a foundation laid during the Obama years.
Fact-Checking the Myths
- Myth: Homan was a political appointee by Trump with no experience.
- Fact: He was a career Border Patrol agent who rose through the ranks over 30 years.
- Myth: Obama hated Homan's tactics.
- Fact: Obama’s administration praised Homan for his "exemplary leadership" and gave him a top-tier award.
- Myth: He only started deports under Trump.
- Fact: He oversaw nearly a million deportations while Obama was president.
What This Means for 2026
As Homan takes the lead in the second Trump administration, his history with Obama provides a roadmap for what’s coming. He knows the levers of power because he’s been pulling them for decades. He isn't learning on the job.
The "Border Czar" isn't a new role for him; it's the culmination of a career that saw him go from a local police officer in New York to the most powerful immigration official in the world.
If you are looking to stay updated on how these policies are actually being implemented on the ground, you should regularly check the official ICE.gov Newsroom and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press releases. These sources provide the raw data on removals and enforcement actions that often get lost in the political noise. Following non-partisan think tanks like the Migration Policy Institute can also help you understand the long-term impact of the strategies Homan developed during both the Obama and Trump eras.