Acting Director Vitiello Nominated to Lead ICE

President Trump will nominate the acting director at Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), Ronald D. Vitiello, to the permanent role of heading the agency.

Vitiello was named to the acting role at the end of June, replacing retired Acting Director Thomas Homan.

Vitiello began his career as a Border Patrol agent in Laredo, Texas, in 1985. In 2010, after working in the Operations Division of the former DHS Border and Transportation Security Directorate, he transferred to CBP headquarters to be deputy chief of the Border Patrol.

He was named chief of the Border Patrol in February 2017 and was named acting CBP deputy commissioner later in the year.

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she was “pleased” by Trump’s pick.

“Since assuming the role of Deputy Director in late June, he has made clear his commitment to support the men and women of ICE, and ensure they are well-positioned to meet the demands of their incredibly challenging jobs,” Nielsen said in a statement. “Deputy Director Vitiello’s leadership experience, combined with the unique perspective that comes from more than 30 years in law enforcement, makes him especially qualified to hold this important position.”

“I encourage the Senate to act quickly in confirming Deputy Director Vitiello’s nomination, and I look forward to continuing to work with him and the remarkable team at ICE,” she added.

Vitiello said in a statement: “ICE’s mission is critical to protecting national security and public safety, and the men and women of this agency continue to carry out that mission with courage, dedication, and integrity – even in the face of unfair attacks and threats. I am honored that the president plans to nominate me to serve as director alongside the brave men and women of ICE.”

Homan had originally planned to retire with the incoming administration in January 2017 but was convinced to stay on as acting director until a permanent ICE director could be found. He was nominated to permanently fill the role last November but was not confirmed by the Senate,

Read HST’s full coverage:

New Acting ICE Director Vitiello Feels Strongly About Listening to Agents in the Field

#RealDeal Interview: Chief Vitiello on Uptick in Crossings, CBP’s Future

Border Patrol Agent Family Network Offers Support Through Job’s Stresses, Sacrifices

Bridget Johnson

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor and a foreign policy writer at The Hill. Previously she was an editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and syndicated nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Bridget is a terrorism analyst and security consultant with a specialty in online open-source extremist propaganda, incitement, recruitment, and training. She hosts and presents in Homeland Security Today law enforcement training webinars studying a range of counterterrorism topics including conspiracy theory extremism, complex coordinated attacks, critical infrastructure attacks, arson terrorism, drone and venue threats, antisemitism and white supremacists, anti-government extremism, and WMD threats. She is a Senior Risk Analyst for Gate 15 and a private investigator. Bridget is an NPR on-air contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Observer, National Review Online, Politico, New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post, The Hill, Washington Times, RealClearWorld and more, and has myriad television and radio credits including Al-Jazeera, BBC and SiriusXM.

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