President-elect Donald Trump drew cheers from the crowd at AmericaFest in downtown Phoenix Sunday when he spoke about a border crackdown, including a “historic slate of executive orders” that will surpass the scope of mass deportation efforts in the 1950s.
He pledged to seal the border and remove criminal elements who he says are smuggling drugs, fostering gang violence and endangering communities across the country.
“We will stop illegal immigration once and for all,” Trump told the enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center Sunday morning. “We will not be occupied. We will not be overrun.”
President-elect Donald Trump delivered his first rally-style speech since his election victory, closing the conservative AmericaFest conference 2024 in downtown Phoenix with a speech that lasted slightly more than an hour.
Returning to Arizona for the first time since his 2024 election win, Trump delivered a speech outlining his plans for when he takes office — including his administration’s immigration and border enforcement policies.
Trump said Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025, will effectively launch a removal program for undocumented immigrants called “Operation Aurora,” and referenced an Eisenhower-era deportation program that used military-style tactics to remove illegal immigrants and included raids on cities as far north as St. Louis, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We will begin the largest deportation operation in American history, larger even than that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower,” Trump said. “We will get them out fast, and we have no choice.”
The last day of the conference featured speakers who largely focused on border and immigration enforcement, including Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, and Thomas Homan, Trump’s pick for “border czar.”
Both speakers lambasted President Joe Biden and his administration for walking back Trump-era policies on the border.
“Joe Biden is the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured a border on purpose: not by mismanagement, not by incompetence,” Homan said. “They unsecured a border by design.”
‘Border czar’ to target sanctuary cities
Homan said “Shame on you” in reference to so-called sanctuary cities that don’t cooperate with the federal government in enforcing immigration law and vowed to aggressively target sanctuary cities and localities that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“If I offend anyone, I don’t care,” Homan said of his border strategy.
He cited the need to address violent crime and narcotics flow, suggesting that jurisdictions refusing to grant ICE jail access would see more at-large sweeps in neighborhoods and workplaces.
“If you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE, that is a felony,” Homan said. “We’ll find (them) in the community if local authorities won’t grant us access to jails.”
Homan singled out Chicago, criticizing Mayor Brandon Johnson for reaffirming the city’s sanctuary stance, particularly its refusal to let local police serve as ICE agents in schools or workplaces.
“The mayor of Chicago, not a real bright guy, says Tom Homan isn’t welcome,” he said. “Well, guess where Tom Homan is going to be day one: Chicago, Illinois.”
Johnson appeared on CNN last week where he vowed to “protect residents from federal overreach.”
“What the Trump administration has called for is for local police departments around the country to behave as ICE agents,” the Chicago mayor said. “In sanctuary cities, that is not permissible.”
Trump’s critique of Hobbs’ border policies
Branding Arizona’s political leadership as ineffective, Trump singled out Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs for allegedly failing to prevent a surge of migrants from entering the U.S. He described Arizona’s border management as a “disaster” and promised to “straighten it out” once in office.
“You have a governor that doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing,” Trump said. “We’re going to change it because your border is a disaster.”
Though he did not specify which aspects of Hobbs’ policy he opposed, Trump has repeatedly highlighted his intention to halt what he calls an “invasion” of migrants, accusing local and federal leaders of lax enforcement and inadequate deterrence.
Hobbs has insisted she is willing to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration to secure additional federal resources for the state’s border region while cautioning against “misguided policies” that harm residents.
“Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign. I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizona’s needs … but I won’t tolerate attacks on Arizona families,” she said in November at a Nogales port of entry.
Hobbs sent about 40 National Guard members to Nogales to assist CBP with traffic direction at secondary search lanes, dismantling vehicles with contraband at the Mariposa border crossing, and supporting rail operations at the Dennis DeConcini crossing a few miles east.
Though he lives in Montana, 45-year-old AmericaFest attendee Jeremy Payne said Trump and Homan’s comments about the border resonated with him.
“I believe in having a strong and honorable border,” Payne said. “Immigrants should honor their host country by abiding by our rules and laws. We love immigrants but we want them to be legal. We don’t want them to break laws.”
Payne said he wishes the mainstream media would be more precise about characterizing Trump’s stance on the border, which is similar to a homeowner who wants visitors to respect their rules.
Similarly, 23-year-old Jimmie Guy, a Glendale resident who works in industrial irrigation, said he works with a lot of people from Mexico who went through legal routes to be able to work in the U.S. Guy, who attended the event with his two brothers, said he doesn’t think it’s fair that people try to flout the law.
Dallas resident Roxanne Bellows, 60, said “it’s despicable” what is happening on the border. “We are in danger,” said Bellows who works in the construction industry and is currently working in San Diego.
Marc Mahler, a 54-year-old Phoenix resident, said he agrees with Trump on the border, too. And he doesn’t believe Hobbs has been effective on border issues.
“Other than the National Guard, she hasn’t been very vocal,” said Mahler, who works in the health industry. “She hasn’t said anything substantive.”
Mahler is a U.S. citizen now but he is originally from Canada.
“I did all the things you are supposed to do,” he said. “I am offended people are trying to jump the line. I have patriotism for this country and you should be vetted if you want to move here.”
Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.
Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @stephanieinnes.
