Republicans are edging closer to overall control of the US Congress, having already secured a majority in the Senate and need three seats to take the House of Representatives.
As President-elect Donald Trump’s grip on Washington tightened, he also announced Tom Homan, his former acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as “border czar” in the incoming administration.
Trump has pledged the launch the largest deportation operation in American history amid fears he will get almost unchallenged power to carry out a hardline agenda.
Following his election victory, Republicans have 214 seats in House of Representatives, four short of the 218 seats needed to win a majority, according to the latest data, compared with the Democrats’ 205.
If Trump’s party leads both the House and Senate, it would mean most of his policies have a much greater likelihood of winning congressional approval than if Democrats controlled one of them.
He campaigned on promises to deport immigrants who are in the United States illegally, cut taxes, impose tariffs on international trading partners and loosen fiscal policy.
According to New York Times analysis, partial results show Republicans have a narrow lead in nine of the remaining uncalled House races and Democrats in seven, although many thousands of votes remain to be counted.
Control of the House gives a party the power to initiate spending legislation and launch impeachment proceedings against officials.
As rumours swirled around the Capitol about who Trump will offer top cabinet jobs to, he wrote on his Truth Social site: “I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on border control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump administration, in charge of our nation’s borders.
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“Tom Homan will be in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”
In an interview on Fox News, Homan said the military would not be rounding up and arresting illegal immigrants and that ICE would move to implement Trump’s plans in a “humane manner.”
He added on Sunday: “It’s going to be a well-targeted, planned operation conducted by the men of ICE. The men and women of ICE do this daily. They’re good at it.
“When we go out there, we’re going to know who we’re looking for. We most likely know where they’re going to be, and it’s going to be done in a humane manner.
“Wait until 2025. No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.
“You’ve got my word. Trump comes back in January, I’ll be in his heels coming back, and I will run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.”
So far, Trump has handed out jobs to New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the new US ambassador to the United Nations. Susie Wiles is appointed the 47th president’s chief of staff.
Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X - formerly Twitter, and Robert F Kennedy Jr, a leading anti-vaxxer, are set to receive roles.
Over the weekend, Trump announced that Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo, who both served in his first administration, would not be offered new positions when he returns to the White House in January.
