Ronald Donato Vitiello (born July 30, 1963)[1] is an American government official and former U.S. Border patrol agent who served as deputy director and acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from June 30, 2018 to April 12, 2019.[2] He previously served as acting deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2017 to 2018[3][4] and chief of the United States Border Patrol in 2017. In 2018, U.S. president Donald Trump awarded Vitiello a Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service.
Ronald Vitiello | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | |
| In office June 30, 2018 – April 12, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Matthew Albence (acting) |
| Preceded by | Thomas Homan (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Albence (acting) |
| Acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection | |
| In office April 25, 2017 – June 29, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Randolph Alles |
| Succeeded by | Robert Perez (acting) |
| Chief of the United States Border Patrol | |
| In office February 1, 2017 – April 25, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Mark Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Carla Provost |
| In office Acting: December 1, 2015 – July 20, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Michael J. Fisher |
| Succeeded by | Mark Morgan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Donato Vitiello July 30, 1963 Addison, Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouse | Nuri |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Grossmont College[citation needed] |
Career
editVitiello joined the U.S. Border Patrol agent in 1985, as a member of the Border Patrol Academy of Class 174. His first duty station was in Laredo, Texas. He has held various leadership positions within the Border Patrol, including supervisory Border patrol agent; assistant patrol agent in charge; special operations Supervisor; deputy assistant regional director for the Border Patrol at Immigration and Naturalization Services’ Central Region Office in Dallas, Texas; chief patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Edinburg, Texas, and for the Swanton Sector in Swanton, Vermont sectors; assistant chief patrol agent; and Senior Associate chief.[3]
Chief of the Border Patrol
editIn 2010, Vitiello was appointed deputy chief of the Border Patrol, and in 2015-16 he served as acting chief, after which Mark A. Morgan was appointed chief.[3][5] Vitiello then served as executive assistant commissioner for operations support at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol's parent agency.[3]
Vitiello was appointed chief of the Border Patrol by President Donald Trump in January 2017 and assumed the position on February 1, 2017, replacing Mark A. Morgan.[3][6] The National Border Patrol Council, the union which represents Border patrol agents, openly supported Vitiello for the position.[5]
Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
editAfter U.S. Customs and Border Protection deputy commissioner Randolph Alles resigned to become the director of the United States Secret Service, Vitiello was appointed to take his place on April 25, 2017.[7]
Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
editIn early June 2018, Vitiello was named acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.[8] Under Vitiello's leadership, ICE continued implementing a policy of "zero tolerance," which critics charge has had the result of separating families at the border and increasing deportations.[9]
In August 2018, Trump nominated Vitiello to become ICE's permanent director.[10]
During a 2018 Senate confirmation hearing, Senator Gary Peters brought up a 2015 tweet from Vitiello, where he suggested to Mark Levin that the Democratic Party be renamed the "liberalcratic party or the NeoKlanist party". Vitiello said it was intended as a direct message, was a joke, and was sorry it caused offense; Kamala Harris echoed Peters' reply, grilling him on why that was a poor comparison. When Vitiello said the KKK "tried to use fear and force" against "race and ethnicity", Harris asked if Vitiello saw parallels between ICE and the KKK, especially with ICE's enforcement of the Trump administration family separation policy. This led to a strong reaction from Fox News's Trish Regan and a strong letter to Harris from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.[11][12][13][14]
On April 4, 2019, Trump rescinded Vitiello's nomination as director of ICE,[15] stating to reporters the next day at the White House before leaving on a trip to border that, "Ron’s a good man, but we’re going in a tougher direction."[16] On April 10, 2019, Vitiello announced his resignation from ICE.[17]
Personal life and education
editVitiello graduated from Santana High School in 1981.[18] He is married to Nuri and has two children.[19]
References
edit- ^ New Border Patrol Chief Takes Charge
- ^ Talev, Margaret (June 30, 2018). "Vitiello Tapped as Acting ICE Director". Bloomberg.
He's being named the deputy director of ICE and will also will serve as its acting director, Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement on Saturday.
- ^ a b c d e McAleenan, Kevin K. (January 31, 2017). "Commissioner's Statement on the Appointment of Ronald D. Vitiello as Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol". U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
- ^ "Trump Names Ronald Vitiello Leader of Border Patrol". FOX-KSWB. January 31, 2017.
- ^ a b "Union-Backed Ronald Vitiello Named to Lead Border Patrol". NBCUniversal. January 31, 2017.
- ^ "Chiefs of the U.S. Border Patrol" (PDF). U.S. Border Patrol. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ "Border Patrol Names Carla Provost Acting Chief". U.S. News & World Report. April 26, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ "Secretary Nielsen Announces Ronald D. Vitiello to Serve as Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement". Department of Homeland Security. June 30, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- ^ "Attorney General Announces Zero-Tolerance Policy for Criminal Illegal Entry". April 6, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ "PN2397 — Ronald D. Vitiello — Department of Homeland Security". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. August 16, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Morgan Gstalter (November 16, 2018). "Trish Regan slams Kamala Harris for comparing ICE to KKK". TheHill. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ (November 15, 2018). "Democratic senators grill ICE chief over hardline immigration policies". cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "ICE head apologizes for tweet calling Democrats 'NeoKlanist' party". NBC News. November 15, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Letter to Senator Kamala Harris". fleoa.org. November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "PN191 — Ronald D. Vitiello — Department of Homeland Security". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. January 16, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Eileen; Kanno-Youngs, Zoland; Haberman, Maggie (April 5, 2019). "Seeking 'Tougher' Direction for ICE, Trump Withdraws His Nominee". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
"Ron's a good man, but we're going in a tougher direction," Mr. Trump said to reporters as he left the White House en route to Calexico, Calif.
- ^ "Message from Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen on the Resignation of ICE Acting Director Ronald D. Vitiello". DHS.gov. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- ^ Pearlman, Karen (May 5, 2017). "Border Patrol chief visits alma mater Santana High". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald D. Vitiello". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
External links
edit
- CBP profile Archived April 15, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- Appearances on C-SPAN