John Cantu

John E. Cantú is the Field Office Director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Phoenix Field Office, one of the largest field offices in the United States. In this position, Mr. Cantú oversees an area of responsibility encompassing 113,635 square miles, 15 counties and six Ports of Entry in Arizona. Mr. Cantú is responsible for a staff of more than 460 employees, an annual budget of more than $100 million, and management of detention space for more than 2500 detainees.

Mr. Cantú began his career in August 1997, in McAllen, Texas, as a Law Enforcement Communications Assistant, assigned to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), McAllen Sector Radio. In September 2000, Mr. Cantú transferred to the U.S. Customs Service in Hidalgo, Texas, as a Customs Inspector. In May 2002, Mr. Cantú transferred to the INS, USBP, Tucson Sector Detention as a Detention Enforcement Officer. In August 2004, Mr. Cantú transitioned into the new Immigration Enforcement Agent position and in July 2006; he was promoted to Supervisory Immigration Enforcement Agent at the Tucson Sub Office. In May 2010, Mr. Cantú was promoted to Deportation Officer at the Eloy Detention Center (EDC). Then in May 2012, Mr. Cantú was promoted to Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer, and then to the Assistant Officer in Charge over Administration and Custody Management at the EDC. On December 15, 2013, Mr. Cantú was promoted to Assistant Field Office Director at the EDC. On October 1, 2017, Mr. Cantú was promoted to the Officer in Charge at the Florence Detention Center. Mr. Cantú holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Justice from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and a Master of Public Safety Leadership and Administration degree from Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona.

Mr. Cantú’s career included the integration of roughly 45 IEAs from Tucson Sector into the Tucson Sub Office, expanding the office space, and the transition of the Criminal Alien Program from the Office of Investigations to ERO. Mr. Cantú served as the onsite ERO representative at the USBP Nogales Station Processing Center assisting with the unaccompanied children influx in the summer of 2014 and collaborated with assets from other Department components. From May 2016 through August 2016, the EDC experienced an outbreak of Asian Measles never seen before in North America. Mr. Cantú was the onsite coordinator of the unified response. From September 2019 through January 2020, Mr. Cantú served as the Acting Deputy Assistant Director for the Special Operations Division. From January through February 2021, Mr. Cantú served as the Acting Field Office Director for the Los Angeles Field Office.