Tony Pham steps down as acting director of ICE

Tony Pham was the first refugee to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

After serving for five months as the acting director of ICE, Tony Pham is stepping down.

“I am grateful for the Trump Administration for providing me the single highest honor of my career in serving my adopted country as both the Principal Legal Advisor and the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Pham said in a statement.

“Leading a law enforcement agency with such a committed workforce has been the honor of a lifetime. I have gotten to meet with many extraordinary employees across the United States. I will continue to be that tireless advocate for the hard working men and women at ICE. However, at the end of the year, I will be returning home to Richmond, VA to be closer to my family.”

After being appointed by Donald Trump in August to succeed the retiring Matt Albence, Pham's tenure was controversial for Asian Americans, the group with the highest rate of immigration in recent years.

Phan came to the U.S. as a refugee fleeing Vietnam as the South Vietnamese government fell to North Vietnam forces. While heading ICE, his actions were seen as enforcing the Trump administration's efforts to stem immigration or portray immigrants in a negative light,

“Five months ago, we said it was time to bring human rights home. Instead Tony Pham chose to promote Trump’s apartheid worldview, and turned his back on refugee communities, here and abroad," said community nonprofit VietRISE in a statement. "Tony Pham will not easily wash off the stain of abuse and corruption that he supervised and oversaw."