Sheriff Ed Gonzalez receives ICE director nomination from White House again
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has been nominated again for Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Tuesday, the White House resubmitted the sheriff to be considered for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security role, months after the initial nomination by the Biden administration.
BACKGROUND: President Biden to nominate Harris Co. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez for ICE director
In April 2021, Pres. Joe Biden nominated Gonzalez to serve as director of ICE, which has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since 2017.
Three months later, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing to examine Gonzalez's nomination.
But, the Senate failed to confirm the nomination before the end of the year.
MORE: Confirmation hearing for Harris Co. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to lead ICE
If confirmed in 2022, Gonzalez will oversee an agency with more than 20,000 employees and an annual budget of $8 billion. It manages the world’s largest network of immigration jails and includes Homeland Security Investigations, which looks at a wide range of international crimes including money laundering, antiquity theft, child pornography and human smuggling.
Sheriff Gonzalez leads the largest sheriff’s office in Texas and the third-largest in the U.S. He was elected sheriff in 2016 and was elected for a second term in 2020.
Harris County Commissioner's Court would be tasked with appointing someone to serve as sheriff if Gonzalez becomes ICE Director.
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Previously, Sheriff Gonzalez served 18 years with the Houston Police Department and then retired in 2009 to serve three terms with Houston City Council. He served as Vice Mayor Pro-Tem in 2010 and was appointed Mayor Pro-Tem in 2012.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston Downtown, and a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas.