Former ICE Director under President Trump to speak during GOP Lincoln Day dinner

Tom Homan, former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will be the keynote speaker at the 120th annual Sangamon County Republican Party Lincoln Day dinner.

The event is a major fundraiser for the party looking to amplify its hold over the county board and several General Assembly seats this fall. The Sangamon County Republican Central Committee, its primary campaign funding arm, also currently has nearly double the funds county Democrats have as of the latest data.

Homan served a brief stint as acting ICE secretary between January 2017 and June 2018 during former President Donald Trump's administration.

During that time, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the start of a controversial "zero-tolerance" immigration policy allowing for the separation of children entering the U.S.-Mexico border from their families— a policy struck down by a federal judge in December 2023.

More: Business migration: Why Springfield's west side flourishes while the east side perseveres

Homan announced he would be resigning weeks after the policy, seeing more than 4,200 children separated before its end in June 2018, went into effect in April 2018. Still, he has defended the policy, saying during a 2023 panel talk at the Conservative Political Action Conference that families "chose to separate themselves" when entering the border illegally.

His appearance comes as Gov. JB Pritzker calls on state legislators to include an additional $182 million in the upcoming fiscal year budget to provide shelter and services to migrants transported to the state from Texas. More than 36,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in Chicago according to city data since August 2022.

Homan follows up with former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway who spoke at last year's dinner. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was the 2022 Lincoln Day dinner speaker.

Tickets for the dinner, held May 9 at the Bank of Springfield Center, begin at $125 per person for the dinner with photo opportunities available for $50 each.

Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Former ICE Director To, Homan to speak at GOP Lincon Day dinner