“On April 19, 1975, my mother grabbed her three children -- me included, luckily -- and worked her way to Tan Son Nhat airport,” Tony Pham told in an interview.
“She was armed with a boarding letter written by a nice gentleman named John Edwards, who I was so glad to meet when I was 10 years old. But based on that letter she was able to get a seat on the flight out of Saigon that day on April 19 and -- as folks would know, on April 30 Saigon fell, marking the end of the Vietnam War.”
Pham, then just 2 years old, was concocted with his mother and siblings through Guam and then placed in an Arkansas refugee camp, where he was eventually reassembled with his father, who had stayed in the job serving with the South Vietnamese military until he also succeeded to escape.
DECEIVED AND DEPLOYED: HOW HUNDREDS OF SRI LANKANS WERE TRICKED INTO FIGHTING RUSSIA'S WAR
In 1985, Pham became a U.S. citizen, before eventually going to law school and then becoming a prosecutor, handling narcotics, gang and firearms cases. He would also serve as administrator of a jail in Virginia.
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In January 2020, he became the ICE principal legal advisor, and in August replaced Acting Director Matt Albence.
Since then, there’s been no sign of any slowing in profession or outlook from ICE. Under Pham’s direction, the agency has launched several services targeting criminal illegal immigrants, including Operation Rise, which focused on immigrants sprung from custody by "sanctuary" cities.
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Sanctuary authorities are those that refuse to collaborate with federal immigration authorities, particularly on ICE detainers -- demands that illegal immigrants being released from jails be transported to ICE custody so they can be banished.
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Within weeks of Pham being appointed, ICE conducted operations in California that escorted 128 illegal immigrants to be arrested. Officials said 96 percent of those arrested had sentences or pending charges for crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, sexual offenses against children, weapons offenses and domestic violence.
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On Wednesday, Pham announced that more than 100 illegal immigrants had been picked up under Operation Granite in Minnesota, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas -- more than 70 percent with criminal records.
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Pham talked about how his past as a refugee and a prosecutor pushed him toward the role he holds now in immigration enforcement.
Pham brings a cheerful demeanor to the role, talking about how he is excited to lead the agency, particularly given his own background as an immigrant.
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