Controversial acting director of ICE will retire in June

Thomas Homan.
(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will retire in June, partially due to his tense relationship with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, three people close to Homan told The Wall Street Journal.

In November, President Trump nominated Homan to fill the position, but a person with knowledge of the situation told the Journal that the administration never submitted the paperwork necessary for the Senate to hold confirmation hearings because Homan wasn't really sure if he wanted to hold the position permanently. In a statement to the Journal, Homan, 56, said his family "has sacrificed a lot in order for me to serve and it's time for me to focus on them."

People close to Homan told the Journal he's not happy that Nielsen hasn't enacted his recommendations, including separating children from their parents when they cross the border together, and didn't ask for his help during immigration negotiations with Congress. Democrats and immigration advocates have blasted Homan for going after law-abiding undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for decades with the same intensity as those who have committed crimes.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.