US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday appointed new members to his new administration, tapping loyalist hardliners for several key posts, including that of “border czar” who will be responsible for mass expulsions.

His personnel choices are the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny, with Trump promising that his second administration will oversee a sweeping shakeup of the federal government. The 78-year-old Republican tycoon announced Sunday that he would nominate immigration official Tom Homan as the country’s “border czar,” while Lee Zeldin, one of his earliest political allies, was nominated for the position. position as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“I’ve known Tom (Homan) for a long time, and there’s no one better to keep order and control our borders,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that Homan would be in charge of “all expulsions of illegal aliens to their country. Country of origin.”

New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik has been named UN ambassador, while US media claims that Stephen Miller, who was the architect of Trump’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ immigration policy during his first term, is expected to become his deputy chief of staff with a broad portfolio.

Another hard-liner, Michael Waltz, a Florida congressman and noted China critic, is reportedly poised to take on the crucial role of national security adviser, according to the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.

Waltz, an Army special forces veteran re-elected to the House of Representatives last week, gave a speech praising Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, in which he called for “peace through the strength of America.”

Asked about Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine, he told CNN last week on election night that there was “a way to end this war, we can do it economically , we can do it diplomatically.” He specifically mentioned the application of sanctions against the Russian energy sector.

Stefanik, who has expressed strong support for Israel, will represent the administration at the United Nations as the world body grapples with the war in Ukraine as well as Israeli bombing of Gaza and Lebanon. The nominations of Stefanik and Zeldin would require Senate approval, but Trump hopes to circumvent the upper chamber’s control by making appointments during recess.

He has turned the issue into a loyalty test, insisting Saturday that any Republican seeking Senate leadership “must agree” to withhold nominations. All three senators vying for the position immediately released statements saying they supported the move, or at least were open to the idea.

Deregulation
Trump will not be inaugurated until January and had already made a cabinet-level appointment, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.

Homan, a former acting director of ICE, takes a hard line on immigration, as does Miller, who served as a senior adviser and speechwriter to Trump during his first term.

Reducing illegal immigration was a key campaign promise for Trump, who pledged to launch the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in U.S. history on day one.

As director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Trump said Zeldin would be responsible for making “fair and fast deregulatory decisions,” with the Republican president vowing to destroy rules on safety and security. pollution which he considers to be administrative formalities for businesses.

Stefanik, a key Trump ally now in his fifth term, has been a staunch defender of Israel and will head to the U.N. as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon dominate diplomacy.

“The work ahead of us is immense as we see anti-Semitism skyrocket, coupled with four years of catastrophically weak American leadership that has significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of allies and adversaries alike,” he said. she declared Monday in a press release. Israel welcomed the appointment.

“At a time when hatred and lies fill the halls of the UN, your unwavering moral clarity is needed more than ever,” wrote its UN ambassador, Danny Danon, on X, wishing him “success in his defense of truth and justice.