John Sandweg
Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Acting
In office
August 1, 2013 – February 21, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJohn T. Morton
Succeeded byThomas S. Winkowski
Personal details
Born1975 (age 48–49)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationArizona State University (BA, JD)

John R. Sandweg (born 1975) is an American attorney who served as an acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from August 1, 2013 to February 21, 2014. He is a partner of Nixon Peabody leading the Cross-Border Risks team.[1]

Biography

2002–2009: Defense attorney

From 2002 to 2009, Sandweg was a defense attorney at Quarles & Brady LLP. In 2008, he defended Arizona House of Representative Mark DeSimone from accusations of spousal abuse, and had told reporters that he would be resigning.[2] He also raised funds for Janet Napolitano's campaigns in 2009.[3]

2013–2014: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Sandweg speaking at the IPR Press Conference in January 2014.

In August 2013, Sandweg was named as the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the resignation of John T. Morton.[4] The decision was met with criticism, with critics questioning his credentials due to having no experience in law enforcement.[5][6] In September, Sandweg was probed for pushing Homeland Security Inspector General Charles K. Edwards to stall his report on a scandal involving the U.S. Secret Service.[7][8]

During his tenure, illegal immigrant removals fell in December 2013, which Sandweg attributed to identifying more criminals and a change in composition for removals.[9][10] That same month, Senator Chuck Grassley gave security concerns about the EB-5 Immigration Program.[11]

On February 17, 2014, Sandweg resigned from the position with no explanation.[12][13] He was replaced by Thomas S. Winkowski.[14]

2014–present: Post-ICE and Nixon Peabody

In 2017, Sandweg criticized the elimination of the DACA program as it would clog the immigration system.[15] In 2019, Sandweg joined Nixon Peabody as a partner to head the group's cross-border risks practice.[16] In 2020, Sandweg joined doctors, lawyers, asylum-seekers and other former officials for ICE and the Trump administration to release immigrants due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18] He wanted to release nonviolent detainees to stall the spread of COVID-19.[19] He also criticized Trump for using ICE as his personal "goon squad," and saying that the raids were a failure of leadership in the Trump administration.[20][21]

During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Sandweg criticized Bill de Blasio and Cory Booker after they had pressed Joe Biden on Obama-era policies.[22] During the presidential transition of Joe Biden, Sandweg expressed excitement about how the Biden administration would handle the pandemic and the return of Alejandro Mayorkas after his leave as the United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security in 2016.[23] He also praised the fewer arrests and deportations.[24]

As an immigration lawyer in private practice, his clients have included Anna Sorokin; Sandweg said in an interview that he took her case because it demonstrated the government's "overreliance on detention."[25]

References

  1. ↑ "John Sandweg". Nixon Peabody.
  2. ↑ Fenske, Sarah (July 24, 2008). "Accused wife-beater and State Representative Mark DeSimone resigned . . . or did he?". Phoenix New Times.
  3. ↑ "John Sandweg, acting ICE director, leaves post after five months". Homeland Security Newswire. February 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ North, David (August 13, 2013). "A New Immigration Policy Maker — John Sandweg, Acting Head of ICE". Center for Immigration Studies.
  5. ↑ Schlussel, Debbie (September 5, 2013). "John Sandweg: Obama's New Immigration Chief's "Experience" is Defending Child Molesters, Wife Beaters, Drunk Drivers, Terrorists". Debbie Schlussel.
  6. ↑ Winter, Jana (August 14, 2013). "New ICE boss' background as defense attorney for murderers, pedophiles raises questions about his credentials". Fox News.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Jeffrey (September 11, 2013). "Napolitano allies probed for meddling in Secret Service sex scandal". Rose Law Group Reporter.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Jeffrey (September 8, 2013). "Foxes in the henhouse: Napolitano gurus probed for meddling in Secret Service sex scandal". The Washington Times.
  9. ↑ "U.S. illegal immigrant removals fall in fiscal 2013". Reuters. December 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ Preston, Julia (December 19, 2013). "U.S. Deportations Decline; Felons Made Up Big Share". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Grassley, Chuck (December 12, 2013). "Letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Sandweg - Internal Memo Outlines National Security Concerns with EB-5 Immigration Program". Vote Smart.
  12. ↑ Winter, Jana (February 17, 2014). "Acting ICE Director Sandweg resigns after five months on the job". Fox News.
  13. ↑ "Acting ICE Director John Sandweg Resigns Less Than 6 Months After Appointment: Report". HuffPost. February 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ "CBP's Winkowski heads up ICE". FreightWaves. June 8, 2014.
  15. ↑ Sandweg, John (August 2, 2017). "Eliminating DACA program will only clog immigration enforcement". The Hill.
  16. ↑ "Nixon Peabody Snags Former DHS Official To Lead New Team". Law360. September 11, 2019.
  17. ↑ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (March 19, 2020). ""Powder kegs": Calls grow for ICE to release immigrants to avoid coronavirus outbreak". CBS News.
  18. ↑ Negron, Valeria (April 8, 2020). "Democratic lawmakers urge reduction of immigrant detainee populations". JURIST.
  19. ↑ Sandweg, John (March 22, 2020). "I Used to Run ICE. We Need to Release the Nonviolent Detainees". The Atlantic.
  20. ↑ Strauss, Daniel (July 24, 2020). "Trump is using federal agents as his 'goon squad', says Ice's ex-acting head". TheGuardian.com.
  21. ↑ "ICE has begun raids to round up undocumented immigrants, official says". WJW. July 14, 2019.
  22. ↑ Aleaziz, Hamed (August 1, 2019). "Former Top Obama Official Criticizes Democratic Candidates For "Unfair Attack" On Immigration Record". BuzzFeed News.
  23. ↑ Katz, Eric (January 21, 2021). "'People Are Just Relieved': Career Feds Express Optimism as Biden Officials Take Charge at Agencies". Government Executive.
  24. ↑ Miroff, Nick; Sacchetti, Maria (February 8, 2021). "New Biden rules for ICE point to fewer arrests and deportations, and a more restrained agency". KTRK-TV.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Palmer, Emily (8 October 2022). "Fake Heiress Anna Sorokin Is Released From Jail". The New York Times.
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