Benjamine Huffman
Benjamine Huffman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office January 20, 2025 – January 25, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Mayorkas |
| Succeeded by | Kristi Noem |
| Personal details | |
| Education | South Plains College Sul Ross State University (BA, MA) |
Benjamine Carry Huffman is an American law enforcement official who is the Director of Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and served as the acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security from January 20 to January 25, 2025.
Early life
[edit]Huffman's family comes from Stanton, Texas, and he grew up in West Texas.[1][2] He attended Permian High School in Odessa, where he graduated in 1979.[1] He later attended South Plains College, where he received an associate's degree in criminal justice, and Sul Ross State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in general studies and a master's degree in homeland security.[1] He worked in Stanton until 1985.[1]
Career
[edit]Huffman entered on duty with the United States Border Patrol on February 3, 1985, as a member of Border Patrol Academy Class 173. He became a member of BORTAC in 1987 and served in various missions around the world, including Operation Snowcap in Bolivia and operations in South Africa. In over three decades of service to the U.S. Border Patrol, he served in a number of different positions. He served as acting director of the Special Operations Group, where he led the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) global response team, and later as chief of the strategic planning and analysis directorate at the Border Patrol Headquarters.[2]
In 2014, Huffman became a member of the senior executive service and became the deputy chief of the El Paso Sector of the U.S. border. He became the executive assistant commissioner of enterprise services in 2019, leading 4,500 employees with roles of providing support in various aspects of the CBP workforce.[2] He then became the acting chief operating officer for the CBP and in 2021, he became the acting deputy commissioner for the agency.[1] He assumed the role of Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) on September 24, 2023.[2][3] As Director of the FLETC, he leads the body which provides training to those who work in various law enforcement agencies.[2]
On January 20, 2025, Huffman was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security, as his nominee for the position, Kristi Noem, had not yet been approved by the Senate.[4][5] As Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, he ordered the end of teleworking and issued a memo authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to use federal law enforcement employees to carry out Trump's mass deportation of illegal immigrants.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Huffman to serve as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection". Martin County Messenger. July 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Director Benjamine C. Huffman" (PDF). Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Hall, Michael (October 6, 2023). "New FLETC director sworn in". The Brunswick News.
- ^ Katz, Eric; Michael Newhouse, Sean (January 20, 2025). "Here's who is leading federal agencies as Trump nominees await confirmation". Government Executive. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "President Trump Announces Acting Cabinet and Cabinet-Level Positions". WhiteHouse.gov. January 20, 2025. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Barr, Luke (January 20, 2025). "Exclusive: DHS ends teleworking, requires employees to work in person". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Legare, Robert; Sganga, Nicole (January 23, 2025). "DHS authorizes federal law enforcement to implement Trump's immigration policies". CBS News.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)