LEITF Members Support the Nomination of John Tien for DHS Deputy Secretary

May 24, 2021

As law enforcement leaders and members of the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force, we are writing to support the confirmation of John Tien for the position of Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Deputy Secretary role requires a thorough understanding of the importance of trust and collaboration in ensuring security, which Mr. Tien has developed through his military and professional experience.

Tien was the first Asian-American to serve as West Point’s First Captain and Brigade Commander. He went on to spend 24 years as an active-duty combat arms officer in the U.S. Army and is veteran of three combat tours in Iraq. During his combat battalion command tour, Tien’s unit partnered with U.S. military police units to train thousands of Iraqi police officers and worked to secure and stabilize the Iraqi cities of Tal Afar and Ramadi. Tien has earned the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Combat Action Badge and the Valorous Unit Award.

Tien has worked in the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. Most recently, from 2009-2011, he was the National Security Council Senior Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Obama administration.

In his current role working with Citigroup, Tien is the primary lead for safeguarding tens of millions of customer’s accounts against fraud. He is also the national co-leader for the Citi Salutes Affinity, Citi’s firm-wide effort to support U.S. military veterans and military family members both internal and external to the company. Tien is also an active community leader in his current hometown of Atlanta through his support of Leadership Atlanta, The Warrior Alliance non-profit and Georgia Gwinnett College.

We believe that with his background, Tien would bring valuable experience and leadership to the position of Deputy Secretary and place our nation’s safety and security above all. We look forward to engaging with Tien, and continuing our collaboration with DHS, to protect all members of our communities.

We urge the Senate to support Mr. Tien’s nomination for the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.

Sincerely,

Chief Art Acevedo, LEITF Co-Chair
Miami, FL

Lieutenant Andy Norris, retired
Tuscaloosa County, AL

Chief Ramon Batista, retired
Mesa, AZ

Chief Jack Harris, retired
Phoenix, AZ

Chief Chris Magnus
Tucson, AZ

Sheriff Bill Gore
San Diego County, CA

Sheriff John Mina
Orange County, FL

Chief Roy Minter, Jr.
Savannah, GA

Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald
Story County, IA

Chief Wayne Jerman
Cedar Rapids, IA

Director of Public Safety Mark Prosser, retired
Storm Lake, IA

Sheriff Kevin Schneider
Polk County, IA

Chief Mike Tupper
Marshalltown, IA

Sheriff John Idleburg
Lake County, IL

Michael Masters, President, the Soufan Center
Chicago, IL

Chief Ron Teachman, retired
South Bend, IN

Chief Brian Kyes
Chelsea, MA

Chief Ronald Haddad
Dearborn, MI

Sheriff David Hutchinson
Hennepin County, MN

Chief Chris Blue
Chapel Hill, NC

Sheriff Garry McFadden
Mecklenburg County, NC

Sheriff Eli Rivera
Cheshire County, NH

Chief Richard Biehl
Dayton, OH

Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Pare
Providence, RI

Chief Frank Dixon
Denton, TX

Chief Andy Harvey
Pharr, TX

Sheriff Sally Hernandez
Travis County, TX

Chief Claudio Treviño, Jr.
Laredo, TX

Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht
King County, WA

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