ICE Leadership

Patrick J. Lechleitner is the Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mr. Lechleitner is responsible for providing strategic leadership, direction and oversight to a workforce of more than 20,000 employees. Through their work, he is responsible for an agency tasked with enforcing our nation’s more than 400 federal statutes related to transnational crime, preventing terrorism, combatting the illicit movement of people, money, and goods as well as civil and criminal immigration enforcement. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Lechleitner served as the Acting ICE Deputy Director for two years.

Previously, Mr. Lechleitner served as the Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). HSI is the principal investigative component of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating, disrupting, and dismantling transnational criminal organizations and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. HSI’s workforce consists of approximately 10,400 employees, including special agents, criminal analysts, mission support personnel and contract staff assigned to over 220 offices throughout the United States and over 50 countries around the world.

Throughout his career Mr. Lechleitner held several key leadership positions for HSI. Mr. Lechleitner served as the Assistant Director for HSI’s International Operations Division and the Special Agent in Charge for HSI Washington, D.C. Mr. Lechleitner also served as the Acting Assistant Director for the National Security Investigations Division as well as the Deputy Assistant Director overseeing HSI’s Cyber Crimes Division.

Prior to becoming a special agent with the U.S. Customs Service and then HSI in Philadelphia, PA, Mr. Lechleitner was a Fairfax County Police Officer. Before starting his law enforcement career, Mr. Lechleitner was a member of the U.S. military, where he served as a U.S. Navy signals intelligence specialist supporting national security interests.

Mr. Lechleitner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from George Mason University in Virginia, a Master of Arts degree in Criminology from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and a graduate certificate in Executive Leadership from American University in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Senior Executive Service and a Senior DHS Fellow.

Ms. Staci A. Barrera is currently the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ms. Barrera executes oversight of ICE’s day-to-day operations, leading approximately 20,000 employees including more than 6,800 criminal investigators in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and 6,000 officers in Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Ms. Barrera oversees personnel assigned to more than 400 domestic and international offices and administers an annual budget of over $8 billion.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Barrera — a member of the Senior Executive Service — served as the ICE Executive Associate Director (EAD) for Management and Administration (M&A). Ms. Barrera, supported by a geographically dispersed team of approximately 1,600 professional support staff (including 16 subordinate Senior Executives) and an annual operating budget of nearly $1.2B, delivered enterprise services to ICE’s workforce of approximately 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel in more than 400 offices across the United States and around the world. Ms. Barrera provided oversight to ICE’s budgetary resources, expenditures, accounting and finance; acquisition management processes and procurements; human resources, workforce recruitment and hiring; information technology systems and tactical communications support; management, sharing, disclosure, and protection of ICE data and information; real property and asset management; and ICE’s leadership and career development training.

Previously, Ms. Barrera served as Assistant Director for HSI Mission Support, acting as the primary advisor to the HSI EAD on administrative and management matters from January 2008 through July 2018. She was responsible for a budget of more than $2 billion and approximately 150 employees.

In addition to Ms. Barrera’s HSI responsibilities, she also served in two detail assignments: Acting Deputy EAD for M&A (July 2017 to October 2017) and Acting Human Capital Officer (October 2014 to September 2015). In both assignments, Ms. Barrera demonstrated strong leadership, sound judgement, and expertise in overseeing a myriad administrative programs supporting an ICE workforce of nearly 20,000 employees around the world.

Ms. Barrera has more than 33 years of government service. Prior to joining ICE in 2008, Ms. Barrera held key leadership positions in the Federal Government. She served in the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, first as Associate Director and then as the Deputy Director, overseeing OCDETF’s national efforts, including budget, strategic planning and performance activities, the Attorney General’s Consolidated Priority Organization Target list, the State and Local Overtime program, and the Strike Force program. She was spearheaded OCDETF’s efforts to create the OCDETF Fusion Center, a multi-agency, intelligence center focused on supporting drug and money laundering investigations.

Ms. Barrera holds a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief of Staff Michael D. Lumpkin was appointed to his position by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Nov. 6, 2023.

Prior to becoming ICE Chief of Staff, Mr. Lumpkin has a long history of public service to include Commissioner of the Afghanistan War Commission, Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC) in the U.S. Department of Defense, and Senior Executive in both the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.

During more than 21 years of active-duty service in the U.S. Navy, he qualified as both a Surface Warfare officer and SEAL. As a Navy SEAL he had nine operational assignments that included every leadership position from platoon commander to Team Commanding Officer. His time in uniform included multiple deployments in support of contingency operations as well operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

He has received more than 40 awards and citations for his actions in both combat and peacetime during his military service and as federal employee he has received two Department of Defense Medals for Distinguished Public Service, two Secretary of Defense Medals for Outstanding Public Service and the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence.

Mr. Lumpkin also has significant private-sector leadership and management experience to include serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Industrial Security Alliance Partners, Executive Director of Business Development at ATI, Vice President for Human Performance at Leidos, and President of Amida Technology Solutions.

Mr. Hott leads ERO in its mission to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of noncitizens who undermine the safety of our communities and the integrity of our immigration laws. Responsible for a budget of approximately $4.7 billion, Mr. Hott directs the operations of more than 7,600 employees assigned to 25 ERO field offices and headquarters, in more than 200 domestic locations and 30 overseas locations.

Ms. Katrina W. Berger is currently the Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the principal investigative component of the Department of Homeland Security. HSI investigates, disrupts, and dismantles transnational criminal organizations and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. In this role, Ms. Berger oversees HSI’s workforce, which consists of over 10,000 employees to include special agents, criminal analysts, and mission support personnel assigned to over 237 offices throughout the United States and across 56 countries worldwide.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Berger served as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for HSI Atlanta, Georgia.

Ms. Berger began her distinguished federal law enforcement career in 1998 as a special agent with the U.S. Customs Service in Tampa, Florida. Ms. Berger has held many key leadership positions within the agency: serving as the Assistant Director for the Mission Support Division in HSI Headquarters; Chief of Staff for the ICE Deputy Director; the Deputy Assistant Director of HSI’s Domestic Operations Division; and the Deputy Assistant Director for the Transnational Crime & Public Safety Division. She also served as the SAC in Dallas, Texas and Deputy Special Agent in Charge in New Orleans, Louisiana. Moreover, Ms. Berger was the first ICE Deputy Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Fusion Center.

Prior to entering federal law enforcement, Ms. Berger served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Florida Keys and Tampa, Florida. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Florida’s Office of the Attorney General in Tampa, Florida.

Ms. Berger received her Bachelor of Arts in History at Virginia Tech, her Juris Doctorate at Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, and her Master’s in Criminal Justice at Loyola University.

HSI.gov

Visit the new HSI.gov for the latest updates and news.

Ms. Susan Dunbar is the acting Executive Associate Director (EAD) for Management and Administration (M&A) for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Ms. Dunbar, supported by a geographically dispersed team of approximately 1,600 professional support staff (including 16 subordinate Senior Executives) and an annual operating budget of nearly $1.2B, delivers enterprise services to ICE’s workforce of approximately 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel in more than 400 offices across the United States and around the world. Ms. Dunbar oversees ICE’s approximately $9.14 in budgetary resources, expenditures, accounting and finance; acquisition management processes and procurements; human resources, workforce recruitment and hiring; information technology systems and tactical communications support; management, sharing, disclosure, and protection of ICE data and information; real property and asset management; and ICE’s leadership and career development training.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Dunbar served as the Chief Human Capital Officer for ICE. She has been in this position since May 2019. Ms. Dunbar previously served as the Acting Chief Human Capital Officer and Acting Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, Operations.

Ms. Dunbar is responsible for managing more than 230 employees located in Washington, DC; Dallas, Texas; and Laguna Niguel, California, providing human resources services for more than 19,000 ICE employees worldwide. Programs overseen include hiring and staffing, classification, benefits and retirement, payroll and compensation, retention and recruitment, employee and labor relations, employee assistance and peer support programs, employee performance management and awards, workers’ compensation, human resources (HR) policy, and HR information technology.

Ms. Dunbar has also served as the OHC Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, Strategy & Services, and Executive Director for Employee and Labor Relations. In these roles, Ms. Dunbar was responsible for management of medical affairs, which included the workers’ compensation program, executive services (for SES employees), employee and labor relations, assessments and workforce planning, and employee assistance and peer support programs.

Prior to joining OHC, Ms. Dunbar was the Division Director, Inspections and Detention Oversight, which was under the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). She was responsible for the management of three units that inspected and reviewed ICE offices, operations, and processes and provided executive management with an independent assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall ICE mission.

Since 2004, Ms. Dunbar has also served in other key positions within ICE. She was the Legislative Counsel within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and the Policy Director for ICE.

Ms. Dunbar holds a law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degrees in international relations and political science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Jennifer M. Fenton is the Associate Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Ms. Fenton most recently served as the Deputy Associate Director of OPR for the past 5 years. In this capacity, she was responsible for providing oversight and direction of OPR’s budget and increasing programmatic transparency. Ms. Fenton joined OPR in 2015 as the Assistant Director of ICE Inspections and was responsible for ensuring that ICE’s immigration detention facilities, certified undercover operations, and other programs were compliant with policies and procedures.

Ms. Fenton began her career in ICE in 2007 in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, where she served in several capacities, including as the Chief of the Enforcement and Removal Operations Law Division. Ms. Fenton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics from George Mason University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Ms. Fenton is a member of the Senior Executive Service and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Politics from George Mason University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Mr. Padilla is the acting Principal Legal Advisor.

Ms. Jennifer Cleary is the Chief Financial Officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ms. Cleary leads a team of 350 personnel, including three subordinate Senior Executives, and is responsible for budgetary, accounting, and financial oversight for the agency’s $8 billion budget, and serves as the liaison for Congressional Appropriations engagement.