Russ Hott

Assistant Director, ERO - Public Safety Partnership Division

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

With over two decades of commendable service in law enforcement, Mr. Hott brings a wealth of experience in border security, interior enforcement, and transnational policing as he has served in numerous key positions. Mr. Hott began his distinguished career with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service as a detention enforcement officer. He has remained at the cutting edge of law enforcement while advancing through a variety of positions including immigration enforcement agent, deportation officer, instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, supervisory detention and deportation officer, acting assistant field office director, national program manager, unit chief, acting deputy assistant director, chief of staff, deputy field office director, field office director, assistant director, deputy executive associate director, and acting executive associate director.

In 2011, Mr. Hott headed the development of the Repatriation and International Agreements unit, where he led a corps of dedicated law enforcement professionals and served as the primary ICE liaison between foreign and domestic law enforcement partners. In this role, Mr. Hott was responsible for developing the architecture of the program from the ground up, while prioritizing resources on national security threats and risks to public safety. Mr. Hott provided program-centric oversight in support of 24 national field offices, 12 international offices, and over 7,000 personnel. During his tenure, he constructed and executed the Removal Surge Program, a rapid fire charter system designed to eradicate failure to comply cases, and he served as the chief operating officer for the Witness Security Program.

In 2012, Mr. Hott chaired the Returns and Repatriation Network, an international body within the Five Country Conference. Mr. Hott’s performance was recognized with three Director’s Awards for Excellence iInternational Achievement and Protecting the Homeland.

In 2013, Mr. Hott was called to serve as the chief of staff for the ICE Deputy Director, where he managed a diverse portfolio including policy development, operational strategy growth, budget and personnel management, contingency planning, and international collaboration with foreign governments to ensure economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. While in this role, Mr. Hott provided nimble, executive leadership and direction to component programs comprised of a workforce of over 20,000 employees and a budget of nearly $6 billion dollars.

In December 2025, Mr. Hott joined the ranks of the Public Safety Partnership Division as Assistant Director, where he directs and oversees the national 287(g) program, spanning more than 2,500 state, local, and
tribal partners and over 30,000 task force officers.

Mr. Hott is a private business owner, motorcycle enthusiast, avid hiker, and collector of memories.

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