Illume – Tony Pham, a lawyer of Vietnamese, has been appointed as the new head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Tony was appointed on August 25 and will leave his legal advisor position to become a senior official performing the duties of director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for immigration detention and deportation and anti-transnational crime. His predecessor, Matthew Albence, announced his departure from the position late last month.
“As an experienced leader of DHS, Mr. Tony will ensure ICE continues to protect our country’s borders from crime and illegal immigration “, the agency’s spokesperson said in a statement.
Tony Pham moved to the US to settle down with his family after the Vietnam War and became an American citizen in 1985. After graduating from law school, he worked as a prosecutor in Virginia for eight years and as a lawyer for local government offices in the city of Richmond. Prior to joining ICE under the Trump administration, he was the head of the Virginia Peninsula Regional Prison.
The ICE is at the heart of the immigration debate in the United States. During the first month in office, Trump gave ICE the right to detain and deport any immigrants in the United States that lack legal status, focusing on those with a criminal record.
While the arrests have been minimized and the number of people detained during the Covid-19 pandemic has been significantly reduced, ICE continues to be a key in President Trump’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. ICE’s expansion of its detention system and increased repression are frequently criticized by Democrats, some of whom have even called for the agency to be abolished.
Like other senior officials at DHS offices, Tony will serve on an acting director basis, as he is not nominated for Senate confirmation as a permanent leader.