President Biden’s pick is in. For over 18 years, Ed Gonzales has served as Harris County Sheriff, overseeing one of the nation’s largest sheriff’s office in the heart of Houston. But now, he’ll have a much larger job on his hands – serving as the chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During his time in office, President Trump tried to build up ICE as a threat to anyone crossing the U.S. border. Whether it was through his Twitter account, or colorful press conferences, the former President made it clear that he wanted to enforce mass deportation. While he may have gained traction in a few regions, Houston remained as one of the cities where his initiatives were never implemented. This is much in part due to Gonzales’ leadership.
Our very own Mana Yegani spoke with NPR about Gonzales and the positive reinforcement he will bring to ICE.
“I think he will bring a degree of compassion and greater humanity to the agency. He's very low-key. He's not on the news or the media or, you know, showboating of any sort.”
During her time as an immigration attorney in Houston, Yegani feels that Gonzales was able to accomplish a lot, including putting an end to a program known as 287(g). In this program, local law enforcement officers were allowed to act as ICE officers. Gonzales felt this was unfair and immediately put a halt to this program in Harris County.
“But he does care. And he does get the job done, in my experience," Yegani said in an article posted by NPR.
Officers Not Adjusting to Change
Under President Trump’s administration, ICE officers attempted to arrest anyone they came across that was illegally in the U.S. However, since Biden’s taken office, a lot of these officers feel their work has slowed down. Jon Feere, chief of staff at ICE under Trump, spoke with NPR about what these officers are experiencing.
“They feel that they are sitting around looking for something to do. They know that there are plenty of individuals that they could arrest and could remove, and they're basically not being allowed to; the guidelines are very narrow."
Despite the officers feeling like their jobs are stagnant, the number of immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. has skyrocketed in the last week. According to NPR, in July 2021, more than 27,000 people have made their way to the U.S. to seek asylum. This leaves many to question the incoming leader of ICE about the status of these people.
As for our immigration lawyer, Yegani has full confidence in Gonzales. With his previous stances on Trump’s ICE raids, it’s clear Gonzales doesn’t support the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Worried about the status of your immigration matter? Connect with Attorney Mana Yegani to discuss your immigration solutions today. Contact us online or give our office a call at(832) 981-2170.