Gene Hamilton (lawyer)

For other people named Gene Hamilton, see Gene Hamilton (disambiguation).

Gene P. Hamilton is an American lawyer and policymaker who served within the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security[1] during the first presidency of Donald Trump. In these positions, he played key roles in ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, creating the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" family separation policy,[2][3][4] and in revoking the Temporary Protected Status of immigrants from Sudan and South Sudan.[5]

Hamilton currently serves as the Vice President of America First Legal,[6][7] a legal action group founded by former Trump administration officials, including Stephen Miller. In this role, he has represented the state of Texas in a lawsuit aiming to reinstate Trump-era policies that bar unaccompanied migrant children from entering the United States.[8] He also serves as the treasurer for Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.[9]

In 2023, Hamilton authored the chapter on the Department of Justice for the ninth edition of the Heritage Foundation's book Mandate for Leadership, which provides the policy agenda for Project 2025.[10]

Education and early career

Hamilton was raised in Arizona.[2] He received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia, and a J.D. from the Washington and Lee School of Law in 2010.[11] While attending law school, Hamilton interned at the Krome Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Miami, Florida;[2][12] upon graduation he accepted a role as an Honors Attorney at the Department of Homeland Security,[13] eventually returning to ICE in its Office of Chief Counsel in Georgia.

In 2015, Hamilton left the Department to become General Counsel to then-Senator Jeff Sessions, under whom he would later work at the Department of Justice when Sessions became the United States Attorney General.[2] In 2016, Hamilton joined the Trump transition team, ultimately leading its immigration policy efforts.

References

  1. ^ Kopan, Tal (2017-10-27). "First on CNN: Top Trump immigration staffer decamping DHS for DOJ | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  2. ^ a b c d Blitzer, Jonathan (2017-11-10). "A Trump Official Behind the End of DACA Explains Himself". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  3. ^ Shear, Michael D.; Benner, Katie; Schmidt, Michael S. (2020-10-06). "'We Need to Take Away Children,' No Matter How Young, Justice Dept. Officials Said". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  4. ^ Miroff, Nick; Zapotosky, Matt (January 14, 2021). "Trump's 'zero tolerance' border policy was pushed aggressively by Jeff Sessions, despite warnings, Justice Dept. review finds". New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "Former Trump Administration Official Gene Hamilton's Contacts with Far-Right Anti-Immigration Groups". American Oversight. 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  6. ^ Orr, Gabby (26 March 2021). "Stephen Miller to launch a new legal group to give Biden fits". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  7. ^ Keene, Houston (2021-08-12). "Stephen Miller's group accuses Biden admin of hiding docs on Supreme Court commission". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  8. ^ "Alleging Conflict of Interest, DOJ Seeks to Disqualify Ex-Trump Official From Texas Immigration Lawsuit". Texas Lawyer. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  9. ^ Massoglia, Anna (September 15, 2022). "New 'dark money' group tied to former Trump officials launches provocative ads ahead of 2022 midterms". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Hamilton, Gene (2023). "Department of Justice". In Dans, Paul; Groves, Steven (eds.). Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise (PDF). The Heritage Foundation. pp. 545–579. ISBN 978-0-89195-174-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  11. ^ "W&L Law - Spring/Summer 2010 by Washington and Lee School of Law - Issuu". issuu.com. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  12. ^ "The Frontline Interview: Karen Tumlin". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  13. ^ "Hear from Recent Honors Attorneys". Department of Homeland Security. 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2021-11-10.


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