Matthew Albence
{{BLP sources|date=June 2023}}
{{Use American English|date = November 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{short description|American government official}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image = Matthew Albence official photo.jpg
|office = Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
|president = Donald Trump
|deputy = Derek N. Benner (acting)
|term_start = July 5, 2019
|term_end = August 25, 2020
|predecessor = Mark A. Morgan (acting)
|successor = Tony Pham (acting)
|president1 = Donald Trump
|term_start1 = April 13, 2019
|term_end1 = May 27, 2019
|predecessor1 = Ronald Vitiello (acting)
|successor1 = Mark A. Morgan (acting)
|office2 = Deputy Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
|president2 = Donald Trump
|term_start2 = August 1, 2018
|term_end2 = July 5, 2019
|predecessor2 = Peter T. Edge
|successor2 = Derek N. Benner
|birth_name =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|education = American University (BS)
Southern Illinois University (MS)
}}
Matthew Albence is a former American law enforcement officer and government official. He served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from July 5, 2019 to August 25, 2020 and between April 13 and May 27, 2019.{{cite news |last1=Uria |first1=Daniel |title=Mark Morgan to replace John Sanders as acting U.S. border chief |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/06/27/Mark-Morgan-to-replace-John-Sanders-as-acting-US-border-chief/1101561669367/ |accessdate=July 12, 2019 |work=UPI |date=June 27, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/politics/matt-albence-lead-ice/index.html|title=ICE acting deputy director tapped to lead agency|last=Alvarez|first=Priscilla|date=April 11, 2019 |website=CNN|access-date=May 6, 2019}} During that time, he was a vocal advocate against the reunification of parents and children who had been separated as part of the Trump administration family separation policy.{{Cite news |last=Sacchetti |first=Maria |date=June 8, 2022 |title=Lawyers for migrants say U.S. officials slowed family reunifications |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/06/08/migrant-families-reunifications-delayed/}}{{Cite web |last=Montoya-Galvez |first=Camilo |date=2022-06-08 |title=Trump officials complained about separated migrant families being reunited too quickly, emails show - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-family-separations-trump-officials-emails/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}
Education
Albence received a B.S. in Justice and a M.S. in Administration of Justice. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ice.gov/leadership|title=ICE Leadership|website=www.ice.gov|language=en|access-date=September 16, 2019}}
Career
Albence served as ICE's Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations beginning in February 2017, and he was appointed Deputy Director of ICE in August 2018. He became acting director of ICE in April 2019, then was briefly replaced by Mark A. Morgan. Albence reassumed the role of acting director of ICE from July 2019 to August 2020.{{Cite web |title=Statement from Acting Secretary Wolf on the Retirement of Matthew T. Albence {{!}} Homeland Security |url=https://www.dhs.gov/archive/news/2020/07/31/statement-acting-secretary-wolf-retirement-matthew-t-albence |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.dhs.gov |language=en}}
Albence played an active role in the Trump administration family separation policy, working to keep separated parents and children apart, in some cases coming up with novel ideas to block reunification, even after the parent had passed through the justice system.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/09/trump-administration-family-separation-policy-immigration/670604/|title= The secret history of the U.S. government's family-separation policy|last=Dickerson|first=Caitlin|date=August 7, 2022 |website=The Atlantic|access-date=August 8, 2022}} Albence expressed concern that parents, after their prosecution, were sometimes being released into the same Border Control stations where their children were held, allowing for reunification. He claimed that this "obviously undermines the entire effort" and advocated for parents to be placed in different holding facilities from their children even after their prosecution. He also pushed for children to be moved out of Border Control stations as quickly as possible to prevent the possibility of reunification. In communications with colleagues, he wrote “Confirm that the expectation is that we are NOT to reunite the families and release."
On July 31, 2020, Albence announced he would resign as ICE's director at the end of August.{{cite web | last1=Montoya-Galvez | first1=Camilo | last2=Kimani | first2=Julia | last3=Farhi | first3=Arden | title=Trump's top official at ICE, Matthew Albence, to leave post | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trumps-top-official-at-ice-matthew-albence-to-leave-post/ | date=July 31, 2020 | work=CBS News | accessdate=August 2, 2020}}
References
{{Commons category|Matthew Albence}}
{{reflist}}
{{start box}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=Ronald Vitiello
Mark A. Morgan|as=acting directors}}
{{s-ttl|title=Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement|years=April 13, 2019 – May 27, 2019
July 5, 2019 – August 25, 2020}}
{{s-aft|after=Mark A. Morgan
Tony Pham|as=acting directors}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albence, Matthew}}
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:American University alumni
Category:Southern Illinois University alumni
Category:First Trump administration personnel
Category:United States Border Patrol agents