President Biden to nominate Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez to lead ICE

HOUSTON - Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has been named President Joe Biden's pick to lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The nomination was announced Tuesday by the White House. 

Gonzalez will have to be confirmed by the Senate. 

Political analyst Mark Jones thinks it could be a speedy process for Gonzalez and predicts he could be approved by July at the latest. 

Although President Biden’s pick for ICE director came as a surprise to many Houstonians, local leaders believe Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is an excellent choice. 

'That office has needed a leadership role that can bring unity and vision and a new direction. And in my humble opinion, I believe that Sheriff Gonzalez fits the bill to do just that," said Adrian Garcia, Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner. 

Garcia, who served as the previous sheriff, believes Gonzalez’s 20-plus years of experience in law enforcement, will prove his strongest asset. 

"He brings compassion. Having been a Houston police officer, a police investigator and having handled some of the most complex investigations with a great deal of compassion, is something this office could benefit from," Garcia said. 

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Immigrant rights group FIEL says they hope Gonzalez gets rid of controversial practices, like massive raids and end the 287g program, just like he did in Houston. 

"ICE is probably the most controversial arm of USCIS or DHS that exists because their sole objective is to hunt down and deport people. We hope that he (Gonzalez) terminates a program at a federal level so then that way people who fall into jail and other parts of the country, are not put into the system and subsequently deported under this bad program which we know there have been civil rights violations under. Just because he’s a Latino, just because he’s from the Houston area, we’re not going to give him a pass," said Cesar Espinosa, FIEL Executive Director. 

FIEL also released a statement outlining some policy changes they'd like to see enacted if Gonzalez is confirmed as next ICE director. 

"We have worked with Sheriff Gonzalez for a number of years and what we can attest to is the fact that he has been and continues to be a man who listens to and takes input from the community. We understand that the role he is about to undertake is a huge and controversial role and we wish him well in this endeavour. However we have some things we would not like to see again such as massive raids, lack of prosecutorial discretion and continued separation of hard working families. Some of the things that we hope to see in policy changes would be: 1. We would like a more just and uniform application of prosecutorial/administrative relief. 2. No more massive raids which send a shockwave of fear into our communities destroying community and government relations. 3. A definite end to the 287G program and secure communities which are policies that Sheriff Gonzalez understands hurt communities. 4. Treat people more humanely by suspending the use of ankle monitors for people who do not pose a flight risk. 5. Ending the 'Collateral Damage' policy when it comes to ICE enforcement in our communities. We are hopeful for a more positive future for ICE and at the end that we will see the agency's power diminish as we move forward on immigration reform. " - Cesar Espinosa FIEL Executive Director.

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Gonzalez’s departure would leave the top position in the third largest sheriff’s department in the country vacant and with only a few months for Commissioner’s Court to appoint a replacement.

An interim would serve for the remainder of Gonzalez’s term until the next election cycle in November 2022.