Blas Nuñez-Neto
Blas Nuñez-Neto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Immigration Policy | |
| In office October 2021 – June 2024 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Personal details | |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) Fels Institute of Government (MA) |
Blas Nuñez-Neto (born 1973/1974)[1] is an American former government official who served as the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Immigration Policy in the Joe Biden administration. He has been described as a key architect of the Biden administration's immigration policy.[2][3][4][1][5] He played a central role in Senate negotiations over a bipartisan border deal that was ultimately scuttled when former president Donald Trump pressured Republicans to abandon it.[3][4]
Early life and education
Nuñez-Neto was born in Argentina.[2][3] He immigrated to the United States as a child.[4] Nuñez-Neto earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and later his graduate degree in government administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University.
Career
After graduate school, he worked at the Congressional Research Service. Later, Nuñez-Neto was an aide on border security to Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).
Obama Administration
In January of 2015, Nuñez-Neto became a senior adviser in Customs and Border Protection in the Barack Obama administration.[2]
Biden Administration
He worked on border security issues at the RAND Corporation until 2021 when he became chief operating officer for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Joe Biden administration.[2] Later that year, he took a position in the Department of Homeland Security.[2] Nuñez-Neto has a close partnership with Roberto Velasco Álvarez, the top official at Mexico's Foreign Ministry for North American affairs, who substantially curtailed illegal border crossings into the United States.[2]
In 2024, Nuñez-Neto was promoted to a position in the White House.[2]
References
- ^ a b Beitsch, Rebecca (2023-08-14). "Meet the DHS official seeking a middle ground on the border". The Hill.
- ^ a b c d e f g Miroff, Nick (2024-09-01). "The quiet technocrat who steered Biden's effort to tighten the border". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
- ^ a b c "Scoop: Biden beefs up border team as pressure builds". Axios. 2024.
- ^ a b c Rafael Bernal, Rebecca Beitsch (2024-05-03). "White House shakes up its immigration team". The Hill.
- ^ Beitsch, Rebecca (2023-12-13). "The Hill's Changemakers: Blas Nuñez-Neto, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security". The Hill.