Trump’s Deportation Duo in the West Wing

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Stephen Miller will serve as his deputy chief of staff for policy when the new administration takes office on January 6. Miller will work closely with Tom Homan, the incoming “border czar”—an ambiguous role improvised by a historically erratic politico. Miller, in theory, will report to chief of staff Suzy Wiles, while Homan, in theory, will report directly to Trump.

This could create an interesting dynamic on immigration policy in the West Wing. Trump has a habit of assigning overlapping responsibilities to subordinates, allowing them to clash for his amusement. That said, Homan and Miller are fully aligned in their commitment to deport as many migrants as possible. They are also well aware of the capacity and legal limitations of mass deportation policy, which they will look to challenge early and often once Trump returns to the Oval Office on January 6.

But what if Homan can’t deliver for Trump, leaving Miller unable to deliver to Wiles? As some immigration watchers suspect, MAGA may have overpromised on its immigration enforcement goals. Or what if they are too successful in carrying out their mandate? Trump’s circle is littered with operatives who lost favor after stealing too much of his spotlight. 

There’s also the possibility (read: hope) that the extreme policies MAGA’s loudest advocates have championed will prove broadly unpopular when enacted. Remember, American voters still favor a path to citizenship over deporting law-abiding undocumented migrants by wide margins. See the right-side graphic here —

What if, as polls have shown for years, Americans actually value their undocumented friends and neighbors? What if the cruelty of this deportation program makes Trump increasingly unpopular with his growing base of voters? Past instances of viral audiovisual evidence of government overreach have successfully turned public opinion against Miller and Homan’s tactics.

To be clear: a consensus exists that removing violent criminals and repeat offenders is sensible. Yet, citizenship still wins out over deportations for most voters, meaning the electorate recognizes that undocumented neighbors pose no threat.

If turning public opinion against mass deportations is possible, it will take time. Meanwhile, many innocent people will suffer at the hands of the new administration. Miller is cutthroat, and Homan is a steamroller; both are wildly popular among MAGA diehards and will initially operate in the West Wing with near impunity. However, neither Miller nor Homan will operate entirely unchecked. They report to Trump (and Wiles), and their administration remains accountable—to Congress and the courts.

Ironically, an early stumbling block could be the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in June to roll back the Chevron doctrine, reducing federal agencies’ power. Migrants and their advocates may now find it easier to challenge DHS decisions, as judges are no longer bound to defer to agency interpretations.

Make no mistake: this won’t be easy or pretty. But the Miller/Homan deportation agenda could be slowed in the courts and by voter remorse from a kinder, less fearful electorate. At the same time, the last four years have given Miller and Homan plenty of time to conceptualize a deportation plan that is more thorough and more organized than what Trump had in mine the first term in office.

And that brings us to Congress. The House and Senate return to the Capitol this afternoon as freshman members of the 119th Congress begin their orientation. Early alliances and conflicts among lawmakers will help shape the degree of pushback this policy receives. 

Congress, where many remain wary of unchecked executive power, could become a critical counterbalance in defending legal limits against an aggressive deportation agenda. How these dynamics evolve in the coming weeks will test not only Trump’s authority but also the resilience of American democratic values amid a complex political landscape we will continue to cover here at Migrant Insider.