Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Matthew Albence is leaving his position after serving there for just over a year.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where ICE is located, revealed Albence’s retirement plans on Friday, after the Washington Examiner first reported his departure.
Albence is a long-time career official who has served in the United States government for almost three decades. He plans to leave the job for Labor Day, according to the examiner.
The agency’s stated mission is to protect the United States from cross-border crime and illegal immigration. President Trump
Donald John Trump Trump campaign cancels purchase of ads to review messaging strategy: Nunes report declines to respond if it received information from Ukraine lawmaker meant to harm Biden poll: plurality of ‘Generation Z’ voters says who see more Trump political announcements than Biden MORE It has made cracking down on immigration a central focus of his administration and his campaigns for president.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad WolfChad WolfDHS compiled intelligence reports on journalists reporting on Portland protests: Trump report: Feds won’t leave Portland until governor cracks down on protesters Oregon governor says some federal officials leave Portland MORE He thanked Albence for his service in a statement released on Friday.
“As the senior law enforcement officer for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, he successfully led ICE to record-breaking criminal arrests and seizures in support of ICE’s critical national security and public safety missions, and helped restore the integrity of this country’s immigration system, “Wolf said.
“He has been a tireless advocate for ICE’s more than 21,000 dedicated professionals and a critical member of the DHS leadership team,” he continued.
Albence led ICE more than once when the DHS leadership changed in 2019 following the departure of President Trump’s second secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen
Kirstjen Michele Nielsen Trump’s fight with city leaders intensifies Neo-Nazis plead guilty to ‘crushing’ the black church, cabinet official, journalists The Seila Act case: Freedom and political firing MORE. Albence was selected to head ICE in April 2019 after the White House abruptly withdrew the nomination from Ron Vitiello, the agency’s acting director at the time. Trump told reporters that he wanted to go in a “harder direction.”
Mark Morgan later became Acting Director of ICE for a short period of time, but Albence took office in June 2019 when Morgan moved to lead Customs and Border Protection within the department, a position in which he continues to serve. .
During his service, Albence echoed Trump’s hard-line rhetoric about immigration. He harshly criticized “sanctuary cities” and fueled controversy in 2018 when he compared family immigration detention centers to summer camps.
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