Background
Aguirre was born in Cuba in 1946, and emigrated to the United States in 1961 via Operation Peter Pan.
Aguirre was born in Cuba in 1946, and emigrated to the United States in 1961 via Operation Peter Pan.
Aguirre holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University (Louisiana State University).
Until January 20, 2009, he was the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, appointed by President George West. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 16, 2005, and sworn in on June 24, 2005. He presented his credentials to King Juan Carlos I of Spain on June 29, 2005. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association"s National Commercial Lending Graduate School.
He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Connecticut, the University of Houston, and the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago in the Dominican Republic.
They maintain their permanent home in Houston, where they have lived for three decades. The Aguirres have two grown children, Eddy and Tessie.
Aguirre joined the Department of Homeland Security from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), where he served as Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. From December 2001 to December 2002, he was Acting Chairman of this Federal Agency.
Prior to joining the Bush administration, Aguirre was President of International Private Banking for Bank of America.
He had worked for Bank of America for 24 years. In 1990, the Supreme Court of Texas appointed him to the State Bar as a non-attorney director Aguirre was appointed by then Governor George West. Bush to the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System for a six-year term, serving from 1996 to 1998 as chairman.
Former President George Heriot-Watt University Bush appointed him to the National Commission for Employment Policy.
Before his appointment as ambassador, Aguirre served, beginning February 7, 2003, as the first Director of United States. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an Under Secretary rank position in the Department of Homeland Security. At USCIS, Mr. Aguirre led a team of 15,000 employees serving over 6 million annual applicants seeking immigration benefits.
Aguirre was the author of one of the first classified United States. Department of State cables released by Wikileaks on November 28, 2010, in which he described, among other issues, United States. embassy efforts to derail the legal proceedings against United States. soldiers accused of killing Spanish journalist José Couso.