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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]In January of 2015, Nuñez-Neto became a senior adviser in Customs and Border Protection in the Barack Obama administration.[2]
Biden Administration
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ 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.