The secretary of homeland security will take the lead in enforcing Trump’s promises of deporting undocumented migrants en masse and “sealing” the US-Mexico border, as well as leading the government response to natural disasters.

Tom Homan, Trump’s former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), stands out as the most likely pick.

Homan, 62, supported separating migrant children from their parents as a means to deter illegal crossings and has said politicians who support migrant sanctuary policies should be charged with crimes. Though he resigned in 2018, mid-way through the Trump presidency, he remains a proponent of the Trump approach on immigration.

Chad Wolf, who served as acting homeland secretary from 2019 to 2020 until his appointment was ruled unlawful, and Chad Mizelle, the homeland department’s former acting general counsel, are also potential contenders.

Stephen Miller, widely considered to be the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, is expected to once again play a senior advisory role with the White House.