A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025.
Erin Hooley/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Erin Hooley/AP
President Trump has announced his intention to nominate Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper and U.S. Marine, as the next leader of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This nomination comes after a period of intense scrutiny of ICE’s stringent immigration enforcement strategies, which followed the resignation of Todd Lyons as acting director at the end of May. Since June, David Venturella, a seasoned ICE official and previous executive at a private prison firm, has been steering the agency in an interim capacity.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Schroyer as a “PATRIOT with real operational experience, and proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst,” further expressing that Schroyer “LOVES the men and women of ICE.”
If confirmed, Schroyer will work alongside another Oklahoman, Secretary Markwayne Mullin of the Department of Homeland Security, to execute the administration’s controversial immigration policies. Mullin, who once served as a congressman for Oklahoma, oversees the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE.
Mullin expressed his support for Schroyer’s nomination on the social media platform X, stating, “With over 29 years of law enforcement experience, Lance will play a vital role in helping deliver on the President’s mandate from the American people to target, arrest, and deport illegal aliens.”
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, Schroyer currently serves as the senior adviser to Mullin, managing immigration enforcement coordination. Mullin has echoed Trump’s call for Schroyer’s swift confirmation by the Senate. The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the Obama administration.
