Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Matthew Albence is leaving his post.
The acting ICE director told senior ICE officials on a Thursday phone call about his retirement, as the Washington Examiner reports. He is set to leave the position at the end of August.
A senior administration official reportedly expressed concerns about Albence’s soon departure with the uncertainty of “who’s going to be put in” the position.
During the phone call, the official said, “Matt has been — he’s not only a great guy, he’s been such a defender. He’s not a political appointee. Matt’s a guy who has done the job. Our fear is that they’re going to put a political appointee who’s never done the job and doesn’t know the difficulty we have in enforcing immigration law.”
Albence told The Washington Times he was not pushed out of his position by any internal or external forces.
“There were no straws. I’ve had a great run. I’m leaving with nothing but happiness and pride,” Albence said.
He added:
“The vast majority of the greatest people I’ve worked with in my life have worked with this agency. I’m celebrating the fact that I’ve been able to have such a good run.”
Acting U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf also weighed in on the news of Albence’s retirement.
“I want to thank Matt for his 25 years of dedicated service to the United States Government and this country,” Wolf wrote in a statement, adding, “He successfully led ICE to record-breaking criminal arrests and seizures in furtherance of ICE’s critical national security and public safety missions, and helped restore integrity to this country’s immigration system.”
Wolf continued:
“He has been a tireless advocate for the more than 21,000 dedicated professionals of ICE and a critical member of the DHS leadership team. I personally want to thank him for his integrity and steadfast commitment– a legacy he will leave behind with the men and women who perform admirably under the most dangerous and complex of circumstances every day.”
Albence was the fourth acting ICE director since President Donald Trump took office. He has been the acting ICE director since 2019, after serving as deputy director.