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John T. Morton

Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (since 2009)

Why He Matters

As the chief enforcer of U.S. immigration policy, Morton leads the effort to identify and deport individuals living illegally in the U.S. But in a tricky balancing act, he is also trying to improve the image and record of his much-maligned agency. His work puts him at the center of a fierce and emotional debate about the future of American immigration and of the illegal immigrants already in the country.

"I can get criticized on the same issue from both sides on the same day," he told the Washington Post in 2010.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (2006 to 2009); Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia (1999 to 2006)
Birthday: July 26, 1966
Hometown: Morton was born in Inverness, Scotland, but grew up in Virginia
Alma Mater: University of Virginia, B.A., 1998; University of Virginia, J.D., 1994

Spouse: Separated
DC Office: 500 12th St, SW, Washington
Web site

Path to Power

Morton was born in Inverness, Scotland, a small city in the country's northern reaches, but grew up in Virginia, "the son of an immigrant," he said at his confirmation hearing. He attended the University of Virginia, where he joined a fraternity and volunteered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

After college, Morton wandered to the U.S. West, then across the Atlantic to Africa. He spent nine months holed up in Aspen and worked as a waiter and ski instructor, before joining the Peace Corps and shipping off to a warmer gig as an English teacher in Chad.

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The Issues

Immigration reform advocates had expected a friendlier attitude towards illegal immigrants from President Obama's administration.

But in March 2010, a coalition of immigrant rights' groups called for Morton's ouster after a memo stating that ICE was falling far short of deportation quotas was leaked to the Washington Post.

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"We are strongly committed to carrying out our priorities to remove serious criminal offenders first and we definitively do not set quotas," Morton told the Los Angeles Times.

Even before he joined ICE, Morton had "a positive impression" of the agency and Customs and Border Patrol and believed that it had better management and "stronger investments in enforcement policies" than its predecessor agency, according to 2004 remarks. He also said he supported comprehensive immigration reform,he told the Migration Policy Institute.

Detention Centers

Morton has made improving conditions at immigrant detention centers a primary goal. ICE and its contractors house almost 30,000 detainees at a cost of more than $2.5 billion a year, and many detainees live in prison-like conditions.

"The power of detention is a very important power to carrying out the duties of the agency and securing the border," Morton said at his confirmation hearing. "We need to take a hard look and make sure the poeple we are detaining are being detained for those reasons and they're been detained in conditions and facilities that are commensurate with their risk of flight or danger."

In January 2010, Morton annouced plans to overhaul the detention system that would improve health care and government oversight. By June, detainees' families should be able to search online to find out where their relatives were being held.

These reforms won't solve all of the problems with the system, though. Mentally-disabled detainees, for instance, are held in Texas without proper medical attention, The New York Times reported in March 2010.

287(g) Program

One of the most controversial initiatives of DHS' immigration work is the 287(g) program, which invests local law enforcement agents with federal powers over illegal immigrants.

At his nomination hearing, Morton said the program could work "with careful oversight training and basic integrity."

"We need to make sure it's done under clear guidelines with appropriate training," he said.

The Network

Morton got to know some of his current colleagues, like border czar Alan Bersin, during his tenure in the George W. Bush Justice Department.

His work overlaps with that of Alejandro Mayorkas, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Additional Resources