Europe and the Soviet Union
Tom Malinowski: From Poland to American Diplomacy
Brought from Communist Poland at six by a mother seeking refuge; later the Department's top human rights official.
- Fled
- Poland
- Status
- Fled persecution
- Arrived in the U.S.
- about 1971
- Service
- Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2014 to 2017)
- Region
- Europe and the Soviet Union
Tom Malinowski was six when his mother brought him from Poland to the United States, seeking refuge from communism.
He worked on human rights for decades and served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor from 2014 to 2017. He was later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey.
Read the history behind this story on the Poland page, or browse all the diplomats.