He served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from July 5, 2019 to August 25, 2020 and between April 13 and May 27, 2019.

Albence reassumed the role of acting director of ICE from July 2019 to August 2020.

[7] Albence played an active role in the Trump administration family separation policy, working to keep separated parents and children apart, in some cases coming up with novel ideas to block reunification, even after the parent had passed through the justice system.

[3] Albence expressed concern that parents, after their prosecution, were sometimes being released into the same Border Control stations where their children were held, allowing for reunification.

[4][5] He claimed that this "obviously undermines the entire effort" and advocated for parents to be placed in different holding facilities from their children even after their prosecution.