NATIONWIDE — Less than a month after Matthew Albence announced he would be stepping down as the head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency has announced a new leader. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tony Pham has been named as the new head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency

  • Pham previously served as ICE's principal legal advisor 

  • According to his government bio, Pham came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in the 1970s before becoming a citizen in 1985

Tony Pham, who joined ICE as the agency’s head prosecutor and legal adviser earlier this year, was chosen to succeed Albence. 

"As a seasoned leader with DHS Tony will ensure ICE continues to safeguard our country's borders from crime and illegal immigration," an ICE spokesperson said in a statement first shared with The Washington Examiner. 

According to Pham’s bio on the government website, the newly-appointed ICE head was born in Saigon and came to the United States as a refugee in the 1970s. Pham became an official U.S. citizen ten years later in 1985, his bio continued. 

“When we came to this nation seeking hope and opportunity as refugees, I signed a promissory note to America. I owe a debt for my freedoms and opportunities which must be repaid,” Pham’s bio, which still lists him as ICE’s principal legal adviser, reads. “I do so by committing to my community as a dutiful citizen and to pass along my experiences and opportunities to serve those around me.”

Before joining the agency as a prosecutor, Pham worked as an attorney for local government officials in Virginia. He later went on to serve as the superintendent at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail. 

Pham was seemingly well-liked as a superintendent before he stepped down in December 2019, according to articles in several local newspapers. Pham spearheaded a series of reforms during his tenure, including an inmate addiction recovery program called “We Are In This Together.” 

“We are saddened to see Tony leave. His tenure there of about two years has done wonderful things for the jail and for the inmates there,” York-Poquoson Sheriff Danny Diggs told The Daily Press at the time. “We are very sad to see him leave. He has a real commitment to his family and I applaud him to have that kind of conviction to his family.” 

At the time, Pham said he was leaving his post as superintendent in order to spend more time with his wife and children.  

As it is one of the Department Of Homeland Security’s main law enforcement agencies, ICE has two primary responsibilities: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). 

Upon assuming the role of ICE’s senior-most law enforcement official, Pham will lead day-to-day operations and oversee the agency’s 20,000 plus employees.