Ronald D. Vitiello, the newly named acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, speaks during a Department of Homeland Security press conference to announce end-of-year numbers regarding immigration enforcement on Dec. 5. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images New acting ICE head named as agency continues to be criticized

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Saturday announced the new acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that has become a pariah among some progressives and Democratic lawmakers who have in recent weeks said it should be abolished.

Nielsen named Ronald D. Vitiello, currently the acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as both the deputy director and acting director of ICE. Vitiello's new roles are effectively immediately.


"Deputy Commissioner Vitiello brings to ICE the vision and leadership needed to continue the exceptional work the agency is doing to accomplish its crucial national security and public safety missions," Nielsen said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

Vitiello will replace Thomas Homan, the current acting director of ICE, who retires this month. Senate Democrats' intense opposition stalled Homan’s confirmation after the White House nominated him November to become the agency’s director.

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According to the release, Vitiello has been a part of the larger homeland security field for more than three decades, starting out as a border patrol agent.

The appointment comes at a critical time in ICE's history. After agitation from progressive activists, a number of Democratic lawmakers are pushing to abolish ICE, an agency that was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted Thursday that ICE "has become a deportation force."

President Donald Trump has delighted in the political fracas over the agency, seeking to portray calls to rein in ICE as overly extreme and indicative of a less stringent approach to immigration enforcement. He wrote on Twitter Saturday that the "radical left" wants ICE agents out.

"To the great and brave men and women of ICE, do not worry or lose your spirit," Trump tweeted. "You are doing a fantastic job of keeping us safe by eradicating the worst criminal elements. So brave!"