Trump administration taps Vietnam refugee as new ICE chief

The Trump administration is tapping Tony Pham, the top attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as the new head of the agency, The Washington Examiner and BuzzFeed News reported Tuesday.

Pham was born in what was then Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and came to the United States as a refugee in 1975 and became a U.S. citizen 10 years later. BuzzFeed notes the Trump administration has dramatically cut the U.S. refugee program. Prior to joining ICE, Pham was a prosecutor in Richmond, Virginia, and later oversaw the Virginia Peninsula Regional jail.

"As a seasoned leader with [the Department of Homeland Security], Tony will ensure ICE continues to safeguard our country's borders from crime and illegal immigration," an ICE spokesperson told BuzzFeed.

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Pham is replacing Matt Albence and will serve in an acting role. Read more at The Washington Examiner and BuzzFeed News.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.