Border czar on cartels: 'We're going to wipe them off the face of the earth' | Texas: The Issue Is

Border talk with Tom Homan, tariffs impact on HVAC

Border czar Tom Homan talks with FOX 26's Greg Groogan about the current situation at the border and what needs to be done moving forward. Then, FOX 7's Rudy Koski digs into the impact tariffs will have on Texas HVAC businesses.

HOUSTON - President Trump's crackdown at the southern border has led to a sharp drop in crossings over his first 100 days in office.

In March, the US Border Patrol was involved in 7,181 encounters at the southwest land border. In October, that number was 56,520, CBP data shows.

The restoration of order is a promise kept by President Donald Trump and his point man, border czar Tom Homan.

Homan now says it's time to wage war on the criminal cartels.

Border czar Tom Homan on what's next

What they're saying:

In a conversation with FOX 26's Greg Groogan on the South Lawn of the White House, Homan says now it is time to finish the job.

Greg Groogan, FOX 26: "You are well aware of the assets of the cartels. Are they just stepping back for a moment? How do we maintain this level of border security over the long run?"

Tom Homan: "The cartels are going bankrupt, right? So the sex trafficking is greatly reduced. The alien smuggling, greatly reduced drug trafficking. We shut the border down, so they're hurting. We have to continue this. President Trump has designated these cartels as terrorist organizations and it ends when we wipe them off the face of the earth. They've killed more Americans than every terrorist organization in the world. So we've got more work to do, but game on. I mean, President Trump is taking on the cartels, the first one to do it, and I think we're going to end up wiping them off the face of the earth in a very new future."

Groogan: "Our representative in the Houston area, Dan Crenshaw, has a committee in terms of dealing with the cartels, and he's recommended taking direct action, preferably in partnership with the Mexicans, but if necessary, attacks or surgical strikes on cartels in order to eliminate their operational control of their side of the border."

Homan: "My personal opinion, President Trump, he needs to take on the cartels just like he took on the caliphate and ISIS, right? We need to play the away game, play where they're at. So we need the cooperation of Mexico. Taking the cartel out would make Mexico much safer, too, right? Thousands of journalists and reporters and legislators and police officers have been killed by members of cartels in Mexico. There's a lot of corruption in Mexico, and I'm going to say this, a lot the corruption is forced corruption, because a lot of law enforcement officers, the military, are forced to be corrupt, because if they don't do what the cartels want, they'll kill them and their families. So I think Mexico's going to be much safer, a better country. I think Mexico should help us. I think they will. But yeah, exactly right. We should take the cartel sign and finish the job President Trump has started."

Groogan: "Pluma o plomo, it's lead or money, that's the rule in Mexico. If you don't do what they say, you get lead."

Homan: "Again, I think the cartels have killed more Americans than every terrorist organization in the world. President Trump [designated them as] terrorists. We got to treat them like terrorists. We got attack them like we attack terrorism, so I think we got the right administration. We got the president to do that."

Groogan: "You have been praised loudly by [Texas governor] Greg Abbott, who stepped up when the Biden administration stepped back with Operation Lone Star. We have considerable state assets that are partnering with your men down there. Do they need to stay in the field in order to maintain the level of security we've been able to develop in these first 100 days?"

Homan: "We need to maintain this, right? President Trump has taken unprecedented actions with DOD down there. We have State National Guard down there, so Governor Abbott's fantastic. Governor Abbott's done more to secure the border than anybody in the Biden administration, including the President or the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Governor Abbott's done a great job, but we still need his help. We have to keep the pressure on to finish the job. So we can't lose it now. We have to finish what we started."

You can watch Texas: The Issue Is Sunday nights on FOX or anytime on FOX LOCAL. You can also check out extended interviews and commentary on the Texas: The Issue Is Podcast.