Nigel Farage has said he wants to bring Donald Trump’s border adviser Tom Homan to Britain to help Reform UK tackle immigration.
Speaking at an event in the United States attended by Homan, the Reform leader told the audience:
“I’ve got terrible news for you. We’re hijacking Tom Homan and taking him back with us to secure our borders.”
Farage also praised the Trump administration’s approach and urged European countries to take a more favourable view of the US president.
There has been no announcement that Homan has accepted a role with Reform or agreed to advise it. Farage’s remark does, however, make clear whose approach to immigration enforcement he admires.
Who is Tom Homan?
Homan is Trump’s White House border adviser, widely known in the US as his border czar. He previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, during Trump’s first presidency. He is closely associated with the administration’s deportation drive, but he is not currently the director of ICE.
He has defended aggressive enforcement and played a prominent part in directing operations during Trump’s second term. In January, Trump sent him to oversee immigration operations in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal agents prompted protests and scrutiny of the crackdown.
Homan was also involved in developing immigration measures during Trump’s first term, including the family separation policy. That record has made him a prominent figure among supporters of tougher border enforcement and a target of criticism from opponents concerned about the treatment of migrants and families.
Farage already knows him. Last year, he interviewed Homan for his GB News programme, praising his deportation record while acknowledging the backlash against the US approach.
What Reform wants to do at the border
Farage’s comments come after Reform published its own plan for the Channel. Under Operation Fortress, the party says it would deploy the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to intercept boats carrying people to Britain without permission and return them to France.
Reform’s proposal calls for a joint command bringing together the military, Border Force, the Coastguard and other agencies. The party says it would seek an agreement for people to be handed to French authorities at a port. It also says it would take them back to the French coast if Paris refused. France has objected to that approach.
The party has separately promised legislation aimed at deporting people who enter Britain unlawfully. Farage’s remarks about Homan suggest he sees the Trump administration’s immigration operation as a model worth studying alongside those plans. He did not set out what job, if any, Homan would actually do in Britain.
The Guardian said Reform did not answer its question about whether the party would seek to copy ICE’s enforcement methods. That is a material question given the controversy surrounding the US agency, including fatal shootings during immigration operations.
Farage urges Europe to change its view of Trump
Farage used the US event to make a broader case for Trump. He argued that Britain and Europe should judge the administration more favourably than they do through what he called traditional media coverage.
His comments follow a period in which he has publicly differed from the US president on other issues. Earlier this year, Farage questioned Trump’s judgment over the war in Iran. He also rejected Trump’s recent suggestion that he would like to see a united Ireland, insisting that Northern Ireland remains part of the UK.
On immigration enforcement, Farage’s praise was unambiguous. He wants Homan’s help. Whether that becomes anything more than a remark to an American audience remains to be seen.
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