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Andre R. Watson manages the federal government’s response to National Security by operating as the principal investigative component in the fight against counterterrorism, human rights and war crime atrocities, and maintaining the integrity of the U.S. immigration system for foreign student visitors.

Mr. Watson has been a highly esteemed, decorated law enforcement agent and civil servant for over 30 years. He is a senior executive service member, overseeing pivotal investigative endeavors in protection of our Nation, within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

He was previously detailed from HSI to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office to serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from May 2018 to July 2020. The mission of the CWMD Office is to enable operational partners to prevent WMD use against the Homeland and promote readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and health security threats.

From August 2015 to May 2018, Mr. Watson was the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, Maryland, field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In this position, he oversaw more than 80 state and local task force officers and 130 HSI employees stationed within several offices and was responsible for all HSI led criminal investigations and operations in the State of Maryland in furtherance of promoting homeland security, public safety and border security.

Mr. Watson has held other senior positions at ICE. He has served as Deputy SAC of the HSI Washington, D.C., field office; Assistant SAC of the HSI Houston, Texas field office; the Chief of Staff to the ICE Deputy Director; and Senior ICE Liaison to the DHS Operations Coordination Office. In 2012, he served as the Chief of Intelligence for the U.S. Department of Justice, International Organized Crime and Intelligence Operations Center.

Mr. Watson began his career in 1992 as a student intern for the U.S. Customs Service in Washington, D.C., and two years later, joined the U.S. Customs Service as a Special Agent in Atlanta, Georgia. He worked for the U.S. Customs Service and ICE in the Pacific Northwest - first as a representative in Vancouver, British Columbia, and as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Blaine, WA. In 2005, Mr. Watson transferred to ICE Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he held various positions, including Program Manager, Section Chief, Special Assistant and Unit Chief within National Security.

He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.