Ronald Vitiello has been tapped to serve as the deputy director and acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) effective June 30, replacing retiring ICE Acting Director Tom Homan.
In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen noted that Vitello has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, beginning his career in 1985 as a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Laredo Texas.
“Throughout his career, he has held numerous leadership positions, participated in Special Response Team operations and was instrumental in formulating the Laredo Sector Criminal Alien Program,” Nielsen said. “He also oversaw the regional implementation of Operation Rio Grande in 1997.”
Vitello was also assigned to the Operations Division of the former DHS Border and Transportation Security Directorate and played a crucial role in revamping the nation’s border security in 2003, Nielsen said. Vitello was named chief of U.S. Border Patrol in 2017 and was named commissioner later that year.
“I am pleased that ICE will continue to be led by an experienced and well-respected career law enforcement officer who will be a strong advocate for the agency’s workforce,” Nielsen said. “At the same time, we must bid farewell to the current Acting Director of ICE, Tom Homan. Acting Director Homan has been a part of the DHS community since he entered on duty as a Border Patrol agent more than 30 years ago.”