Danielle Lawton

• Series: 1801 Pay Plan: GS Grade: 13
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 United States
• Deputy Chief of Staff/Acting Chief of Staff (January 2021-Present): Responds to congressional inquiries, attends meetings with various Consulates General, participates in operational meetings for the local and field office, initiates, manages, and assists with various tasks and projects as assigned. Involved in daily operations including planning and review of local office directives and enforcement programs. Assists in review of current operations, policies, procedures to identify and remedy gaps in communication and execution
• Tasking Unit (May 2018 – Present): Reviews and distributes field broadcasts and guidance; interprets and prepares instructions to the field; liaises with Office of Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) on current cases, case law, changes in processes and procedures, responds to OPLA requests. Conducts research for media inquiries and high-publicity cases, writes and reviews executive summaries, reviews and resolves data quality and integrity issues. Plans and executes projects within the field office.
• HQ Field Operations – Domestic Operations TDY (September 2020 – January 2021): Served as a Detention and Deportation Officer (DDO) in ERO HQ Domestic Operations. Responsibilities included tasking the field with various requests for information and inquiries including congressional inquiries, reviewing Executive Summaries, reviewing and routing High Profile Removal Plans, responding to various requests for information. Participated in various working groups and other assigned tasks. This position was eligible for temporary promotion to GS-14.
• ICE Case Review (January 2023 – July 2023): supported the San Francisco Field Office Director in a temporary assignment as the Senior Reviewing Official by conducting case research
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) POC – reviews, distributes, and responds to FOIA requests.
• San Francisco Outreach mailbox – researches and responds to non-citizen, attorney, and public inquiries
• ERO 2.0 (2018) – Served as a Field Team Lead (FTL) in ERO 2.0, a nation-wide employee-driven initiative to increase number and quality of arrests, reduce non-citizen’s time in custody, and improve employee morale. As an FTL, led an initiative which was adopted permanently in the San Francisco field office.
• SFR AOR newsletter – (2018 to 2022) - created and oversaw the publication of the AOR newsletter
• Supervises three Enforcement and Removal Assistants, including a Field Office Travel Coordinator; supervises three Deportation Officers, including the western region POCs to the Consuls General of India and People’s Republic of China, and the Field Office Juvenile Coordinators, Prepares and serves performance evaluations.
• Secure Communities (May 2018 – October 2018): Supervised a team of five deportation officers. Authorized warrants of arrest and requests for detainer notification based on biometrics. Prepared and served performance evaluations.
• Criminal Alien Program (CAP) (October 2016 – May 2018): Supervised a team of eight deportation officers and two support staff. Reviewed case files for accuracy, authorized charging documents; reviewed and authorized FOWs, conducted at-large surveillance and field operations, liaised with OPLA and various local jails and prisons, prepared and served performance evaluations.

Collateral duties:

• On the Job Training Program (2023)– program supervisor, certified coach
• Morale Welfare and Recreation Committee (MWRC) Supervisor (2016-present) – provides support to the MWRC in planning events aimed at increasing employee morale. Plans events to include personnel, budget and logistics.
• Special Emphasis Program Manager (2017 – 2025) – assisted the agency in the elimination of employment discrimination and promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Planned and organized special observances.

• Series: 1801 Pay Plan: GS Grade: 12
• HQ JFRMU TDY: June 2014-October 2014): Assigned to Juvenile and Family Residential Management Unit (JFRMU) to manage unaccompanied child (UC) and family unit surge at the border. Planned and implemented field guidance; assisted in operational planning for influx of UC and families. Served as an ERO Liaison in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-led Unified Coordination Group (UCG), formed to address the UC influx. Provided policy and operational guidance on ERO matters to various entities within the UCG. Developed and maintained working relationships with various UCG entities including FEMA, US Coast Guard, Department of Defense, United States Border Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and Non-Government Organizations.
• Served as one of two National Juvenile Coordinators: Provided policy and operational guidance to Field Office Juvenile Coordinators (FOJC) and supervisors; Contributed to various congressional inquiries, taskings, and broadcast messages to the field; Managed DQ&I projects tasked to the field; Created and managed a monthly Interpol referral list of UC identified as foot guides or smugglers, gang members or criminals; Reviewed and contributed to the FOJC handbook;
• Attended development meetings for the UC Portal (ORR’s database of UC referred for housing); Served as a UC Portal Administrator
• Participated in EARM developmental meetings to better track and localize data – contributed to changes in EARM. Assisted in the development and implementation of a temporary ERO transit lounge established in Houston airport to assist in numerous reverse-escorts for UC.
• Participated in a Technical Panel Review for the first UC Transportation Contract, which was awarded in FY14, and has been renewed and expanded since.
• Non-Detained Docket Officer (October 2013 to October 2016), Detained Docket Officer (July 2011-October 2013), Intake Officer/Data Quality Control (July 2010-July 2011): Ensured timely movement of cases through administrative and judicial proceedings, Adjudicated requests for Stays of Deportation; identified, investigated, interviewed, and apprehended non-citizens illegally present and legally present but deportable from removal proceedings; reviewed cases for prosecutorial discretion including DACA and DAPA, and criminal prosecution of previously removed non-citizens; requested and obtained police reports and conviction documents to support removal efforts; assisted the Fugitive Operations Team with field enforcement duties, interviewed individual non-citizens and family units for enrollment in Alternative to Detention (ATD) programs; conducted non-citizen escorts for removal, housing, or change of venue.
• Field Office Juvenile Coordinator (FOJC) (October 2012 – October 2013): Served as the local subject matter expert for the San Francisco AOR on proper processing, transportation and housing placement for unaccompanied children (UC); provided policy and operational guidance relating to UC to staff who regularly come into contact with UC; Monitored operational practices for compliance with regulations, standards and policy; Assisted officers in planning operations that include the potential for juvenile encounters; Served as a liaison with CBP, HSI, HHS ORR, USBP, Office of Field Operations (OFO), OPLA, and ORR facilities, Consulates, parents/legal guardians of UC, escorting officers, other federal and state agencies and Non-Government Organizations; Obtained placement from ORR for UCs apprehended in the AOR; Assisted in travel arrangements for UC repatriation via ICE charter flights or commercial flights; coordinated with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) and various entities in the transfer, release and removal of unaccompanied children

Detention: Responsible for safe transport of non-citizens to/from housing facilities utilizing commercial Class-B Driver’s License, Ensured non-citizen safety while in custody in detention area as well as while in transport vehicle, Escorted non-citizens to court, medical appointments, and consulate interviews

• Escorted non-citizens abroad for removal locally for housing or change of venue
• Conducted meet and greet at airport, ensured non-citizen removal aboard commercial flight
• Processed non-citizens through Eforce/Ident
• Criminal Alien Program (CAP): Located, identified, investigated, interviewed, and apprehended non-citizens illegally present and legally present but deportable for placement in removal proceedings; reviewed cases for prosecutorial discretion including DACA and DAPA, and criminal prosecution of previously removed non-citizens; requested and obtained police reports and conviction documents to support removal efforts; Developed and maintained a working relationship with San Francisco, Contra Costa, and San Mateo County Jails.
• Proficient in various databases including Enforce/Eagle, EARM, CIS, CLAIMS, Ident, TECS.
• Control Room Officer/Control Room Officer Trainer: Working closely with the Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer (SDDO), Chief IEA, and supervisory IEA, responsible for the coordination of daily movement of non-citizens in the San Francisco AOR; Coordinated with sub-offices and ICE contract housing for allocation of non-citizen housing; requested, obtained, and assigned non-citizen housing to the SFR AOR for housing the AOR; Prepared and distributed daily reports, including but not limited to: I-216s for local movement and removals, daily court calendars, court rosters and detention and removal documents; scheduled removal from jails and prisons to the San Francisco ICE office; tracked non-citizens not medically clear for transport and ensured timely medical clearance for transport/removal; prepared case files for transfer and removal documents for deportation; maintained custody log of detained non-citizens including case updates and length of custody. Maintained a good working relationship with local management, SFR sub-offices, outside offices, ICE AIR, and local consulates. Responsible for training numerous IEAs in the afore-mentioned duties.
• (This is a federal job)