(CNN) – The current top official of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is retiring.
Thomas Homan is the deputy director and acting director of ICE, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
Homan was appointed under the Obama administration and became a fierce defender of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
An ICE official said Homan was originally going to retire in January 2017, but he agreed to remain as acting director when then-Homeland Secretary John Kelly asked him to stay on.
The administration nominated him as the permanent director in November, but the nomination got stalled in the Senate.
In a statement Monday, Homan said it’s been an honor to lead ICE, but it’s time for him to focus on his family.
Copyright 2018 CNN. All rights reserved.
