WASHINGTON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday on Twitter that he is nominating an Obama-era border patrol official to be the new head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"I am pleased to inform all of those that believe in a strong, fair and sound Immigration Policy that Mark Morgan will be joining the Trump Administration as the head of our hard working men and women of ICE," Trump tweeted.

Pending Morgan's confirmation as ICE director, Matt Albence will serve as acting director, Trump added.

Morgan, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, became chief of the U.S. Border Patrol in June 2016. He was forced to resign in January 2017 after Trump came into office.

The appointment came after the Department of Homeland Security, to which both ICE and U.S. Border Patrol belong, recently underwent a major shakeup that saw a number of its senior leaders resign or fired.

Ronald Vitiello, the previous acting chief of ICE, resigned in April. The Trump administration is yet to have one formal chief of ICE, as all four ICE chiefs since Jan. 20, 2017 had been in acting roles.

The ICE is a U.S. law enforcement agency that enforces immigration laws and investigates criminal activities of aliens within the nation.