Tuong Tony Huu Pham (born 1973) is an American attorney who served as an Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from August 25, 2020 to December 31, 2020. A Vietnamese refugee, Pham emigrated from Saigon to the United States with his family in 1975, gaining citizenship in 1985. He graduated from William & Mary Law School in 1995 and from University of Richmond School of Law in 1999, becoming a prosecutor and earning awards from the Old Dominion Bar Association and Style Weekly.
Pham attempted to run for public office once, losing the election in 2015. He then became the superintendent for the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, creating various programs including an addiction recovery program, an ankle monitor program, and an introduction of tablets which earned him praise from local media outlets. He resigned in December 2019 before becoming the director of ICE. He resigned at the end of the year.
Biography
Early life and career
Pam was born in 1973 in what was then South Vietnam. His father was an engineer for the South Vietnamese Army. On April 19, 1975, Pham and his family immigrated to the United States days before the fall of Saigon, with his father being left behind during their evacuation. They were aided by a family friend, an ambassador named John "Jerry" Edwards, who wrote a letter that said that Pham's father was his brother-in-law and a captain, although this was false. They settled at Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center, reuniting with their father three months later and moved to Henrico County, Virginia with the help of Commonwealth Catholic Charities. He and his family lived off an apartment off Parham Road, where they struggled to learn English. Both his parents worked minimum wage jobs and stressed to Pham and his siblings to study and work hard. In 1985, after 10 years in America, he became a United States citizen and graduated from Meadowbrook High School in 1991. Pham graduated from William & Mary Law School in 1995 and the University of University of Richmond School of Law in 1999. He then served as a law clerk in the Circuit Court of Henrico County before becoming a prosecutor in the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
In 2009, Pham was recognized as one of Richmond's "Top 40 Under 40. One year later, he was selected as one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Leaders in the Law” for his leadership in criminal law and the Asian American community. He has further been recognized in 2011 and 2012 as one Virginia Business’s "Legal Elite in Criminal Law." After being awarded, Pham was selected by the Supreme Court of Virginia to serve on the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board, the first ever Asian American attorney appointed to this position. He then served as a faculty of the Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course on behalf of the Bar. In 2010, Pham was appointed to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board by Governor Tim Kaine, being reappointed by Bob McDonnell in 2014. In 2013, he sought to fill the vacancy in the Three Chopt District School Board, saying that he wanted to be "part of the process of ensuring a quality education not only for my children, but all children."
2015 Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney campaign
On February 23, 2015, Pham announced his candidacy for the Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney, being the fourth Republican to do so. He sought to replace the incumbent Attorney Shannon Taylor, the only Democratic attorney in the race. After the primary, a faulty report from the Pinchbeck Precinct was fixed, giving Pham the lead over the other nominees. Pham was declared the winner the week after, winning by 67 votes, and was endorsed by the Henrico School Board. Pham lost to Taylor with a 12.41% difference in the general election.
Superintendent for the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail
In 2017, Pham became the superintendent for the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail after the previous superintendent, John Kuplinski, resigned from the post. In 2019, Pham introduced various programs and reforms in the jail. An addiction recovery program, introducer in early 2019, empowered inmates with substance abuse disorders so that they could re-enter society, with Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran calling it "an example that should be shared among other jails across the state." An ankle monitoring program, introducer months after, allowed inmates to be at home, at work, and visit the jail. In April 2019, Pham introduced tablet computers to the jail, which allowed inmates to have video calls with their families.