Former acting ICE director calls for national operation over migrants disobeying court orders to leave

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Tom Homan on the border crisis: We've got to throw everything at it we can before something devastating happens

Former acting ICE director Tom Homan says Democratic leadership has not done one thing to fix the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director and Fox News contributor Tom Homan called on Wednesday for the Trump administration to pursue a national law-enforcement operation that would target illegal immigrants remaining in the United States after a judge ordered them out of the country.

"We need to do operationally what Congress is failing to do legislatively," Homan said after blasting congressional Democrats for inaction. A national operation, Homan indicated while appearing on "Your World with Neil Cavuto," would help deter illegal border crossings.

"I ran an operation like that three-and-a-half years ago, and the results were, the border numbers went down significantly," Homan told Neil Cavuto.

Under President Trump, ICE has continually made headlines for carrying out large raids that often resulted in hundreds of arrests each. The agency, under Homan's leadership, carried out at-large arrests as a way to mitigate the effects of state and local governments refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

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Homan also called on ICE to work more within Mexico, casting doubt on the Mexican government's cooperation with immigration enforcement.

TRUMP WARNS MEXICO OVER GUNS DRAWN ON US TROOPS: 'BETTER NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!'

"I appreciate what Mexico is doing right now but my concern is this," he said. "Is it a dog and pony show just to appease the president for a short time or are they actually going to sustain [an] operation that's going to result in the arrest and removal of Central Americans back to their home country?"

Both Homan and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan have pointed to Mexican cooperation as an important factor in halting the migration crisis. "Any solution we're going to have to reduce the flow is going to rely on Mexican authorities to take stronger action," he told Fox News' Dana Perino on Tuesday.

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On Wednesday, the president praised Border Patrol's efforts and blasted both Mexico and congressional Democrats for their handling of the issue.

"Can anyone comprehend what a GREAT job Border Patrol and Law Enforcement is doing on our Southern Border," he tweeted. "So far this year they have APPREHENDED 418,000 plus illegal immigrants, way up from last year. Mexico is doing very little for us. DEMS IN CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW!"