OCA Recognizes the New Appointment of Tony Pham as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Washington, DC - OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates recognizes the appointment of Tony Pham as the new acting Director of the Immigrantion and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The announcement and confirmation of his appointment was released on August 25, 2020.

Pham fled Vietnam to the United States in 1975. As a refugee, OCA hopes to see him take ICE in a more positive direction, including, but not limited to the release of nonviolent detainees, ending the unlawful deportation of refugees, and ending family separations at the border. 

OCA has previously denounced various actions related to the deportation of refugees and ICE policies. Notably, multiple sources reported the rapid spread of COVID-19 among detainees and employees in ICE detention facilities, sparking calls for the release of nonviolent detainees. Furthermore, as Acting Director of ICE, Mr. Pham should halt the cruel and inhumane deportation of Southeast Asian and South Asian refugees; just this month, 30 Vietnamese were quietly deported in violation of a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Vietnamese governments, met with outrage and calls for action from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) nonprofit groups and action networks.

“AAPI representation in our government is important in order to uplift the needs of our community and ensure the wellbeing of AAPIs through policies and legislation,” says Roland Hwang, Vice President of Public Affairs for OCA. “We hope Mr. Pham will remember his refugee roots, and Vietnamese American immigrant community, to counteract the Trump Administration's anti-immigrant agenda.”

OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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