Farage Praises Trump's Border Czar and Wants To Bring Him to UK To Help Secure Britain's Border

Nigel Farage has said he wants to 'hijack' Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan and bring him to Britain to help secure the country's borders, while urging Europe to take a more 'sensible view' of the US president's administration.

Speaking at a US event where Homan was a guest, the Reform UK leader praised Trump's senior immigration adviser and said: 'I've got terrible news for you. We're hijacking Tom Homan and taking him back with us to secure our borders.'

The comments underline Farage's support for Homan's approach to immigration enforcement, although there is no indication that Homan is being formally recruited by Reform UK or that the US official has agreed to take on a role in Britain.

Homan is Trump's border czar and a senior figure in his immigration enforcement policy. He previously served as acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, during Trump's first administration.

Why Farage Wants Tom Homan to Help Secure UK Borders

Farage has previously interviewed Homan for his GB News programme, describing him as uncompromising and praising what he characterised as the results of his deportation policies, while acknowledging that his approach had faced backlash.

Homan has taken a more hands-on role in US immigration policy since Trump brought him into efforts to address tensions surrounding federal immigration operations in Minneapolis.

The US immigration enforcement system has faced intense scrutiny over its conduct. According to The Trace, cited by the Guardian, immigration officers had opened fire on 30 people since Trump took office, with two of those deaths occurring in July.

The figures relate to shootings involving immigration officers and do not establish that Homan personally ordered or directed those incidents.

Homan also played a significant role in immigration enforcement policy during Trump's first term, including the administration's 'zero tolerance' approach that resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents. Family separation had been discussed during the Obama administration but was not adopted on the scale seen under Trump.

For Farage, however, Homan's record remains closely associated with a tougher approach to border enforcement.

Reform UK has proposed a five-year programme to identify, detain and deport people it defines as illegal migrants. Its policies also include Operation Fortress, under which the party has proposed using the Royal Navy to intercept migrant boats entering the English Channel.

The party did not respond to a request for comment on whether it would seek to adopt elements of the US approach to immigration enforcement under Trump and Homan.

Farage Calls for More Support for Trump

Farage's comments about Homan came alongside his defence of Trump's administration.

Speaking at the same US event, he argued that Britain and other European countries should develop a more favourable assessment of the US president rather than relying on what he described as the portrayal of the administration by 'traditional mainstream media'.

'It's important that our country, and Europe too, get a better, more sensible view of America than it gets of the Trump administration through traditional mainstream media who frankly paint the whole project out to be villainous,' Farage said.

His comments come after he criticised Trump earlier this year, saying in April that the pair had not spoken for several months and questioning the president's judgement over the war in Iran.

Farage has also publicly disagreed with Trump over Northern Ireland. After the US president said earlier this week that he would like to see a united Ireland, Farage said Northern Ireland was 'a proud and integral part of the United Kingdom'.

'The people of Northern Ireland neither want a referendum nor unification,' he said.

Farage's latest visit to the US comes as the British and American governments face disagreements over Iran and policy towards Israel. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is due to meet Trump in New York next week, with the US president having previously described him as 'extremely liberal' while also praising his potential support for further North Sea drilling.