Tom Homan, the incoming border czar under President Donald Trump, indicated on Sunday that he is making progress in locating a country willing to accept deported migrants who are rejected by their home countries.

The scheme is a key part of Trump’s plan for what he calls the ‘largest deportation in history. 

But it comes with a snag. What to do with illegal immigrants from countries that don’t want them back?

Homan told DailyMail.com that he is already in negotiations to find an alternative destination in countries that are prepared to house them.

‘I’m not waiting for January 20 [when Trump is inaugurated], said Homan. ‘We are already having discussions. So we’ll find a third country.

‘Until they’ve signed an agreement, and we’ve got that, I’m not going to take any credit.’ 

This concept has been circulating in Washington, D.C., for several months and was partly inspired by a similar arrangement between the United Kingdom and Rwanda to provide refuge for refugees.

Despite initial discussions, the plan faced numerous legal challenges and was ultimately abandoned by the new Labour government led by Keir Starmer earlier this year.

Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan spoke to donors on Sunday evening, and told DailyMail.com he is in talks to find countries that will take deported migrants

Trump has promised the biggest deportation in history when he takes office on January 20. Migrants from Ecuador and India sit together by a fire while waiting to beapprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. on January 05, 2025 in Ruby, Arizona

And a Trump effort in 2019 to send migrants from third countries was challenged by The American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrant rights groups, which said sending vulnerable people to unfamiliar countries put them at risk. 

Homan declined to discuss which countries he was in talks with.

But previous reports suggested Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada were possible destinations. 

The Bahamas has since ruled out the idea. But Guatemala may provide an alternative after an official told Reuters the country might be open to the idea.

Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration the cornerstone of his reelection campaign.

And Homan, a former police officer and the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term, will have a key role.

He said Trump had given him three priorities: Securing the border; launching a deportation drive; and hunting down what he said were 300,000 undocumented children who had gone missing in the U.S.

‘Everything changes on January 20,’ said Homan, during a roundtable with donors and supporters in Naples, Florida.

Tackling illegal immigration was a key part of Trump’s campaign, making Homan one of his most important picks in the administration

He admitted that it would be hard to scale up a deportation operation rapidly.

‘We have limited facilities, but we’re gonna do everything we can  with what we have,’ he said. ‘I’m hoping Congress acts quickly on a budget.’

He said $86 billion, a figure suggested in Congress, was a good starting point to begin to fund the beds and operational costs needed.

‘Say someone in is illegal. Let’s say he’s a criminal. He’s convicted of murder, originally from El Salvador,’ he said.

‘I can’t put him on an airplane on day one. You gotta detain him long enough to get travel documents, get landing rights. El Salvador has to admit that it’s their national.

‘That takes a few days to a few weeks. So I need beds.’

Which beds occupied for about 30 days at a time, he said he needed thousands more. 

‘That’s why every interview I do I said I gotta have the money from Congress,’ he said. 

‘I think Congress got a strong message in November. American people want this to happen, so make it happen. Give us the money we need.