Trump Nominates Former Oklahoma State Trooper to Lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement

President Donald Trump on June 28 nominated Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a key agency in his campaign of mass deportations.

On Truth Social, Trump praised Schroyer's 29 years of law enforcement experience and service in the Marine Corps. "Like myself and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE," Trump wrote, stressing Schroyer's ability to "detain and deport illegal immigrant criminals, including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers at an unprecedented rate."

However, Schroyer is a newcomer to leading a federal agency. His experience is expected to face scrutiny as the nomination goes before Congress for confirmation. Both Trump and Secretary Mullin have maintained that Schroyer's law enforcement background is sufficient for the role.

Secretary Mullin noted that Schroyer "comes directly from the operational field, where he ran large-scale operations and worked with federal and state partners to remove illegal immigrants from Oklahoma under the 287g program." That program allows local and state police to enforce certain immigration actions under ICE supervision.

If confirmed, Schroyer would replace acting ICE Director David Venturella, whose career in government immigration service dates to the 1980s. Venturella, former CEO of private prison firm Geo Group, has served in an acting capacity since May after the previous acting director, Todd Lyons, resigned.

Lyons, who had worked at ICE since 2007, announced his resignation in April, saying he wanted to "spend more time with family." His departure came amid criticism of ICE tactics, including allegations of excessive force and violations of civil liberties protections.

In January, an ICE enforcement operation in Minnesota, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, led to the death of Renee Nicole Good. Other incidents have sparked national outrage, including federal immigration agents allegedly breaking into a home without a warrant and wrongfully detaining a U.S. citizen, Chongly Scott Thao, forcing him outside in the snow in his underwear.

An ICE agent was also arrested after a non-fatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis, with Minneapolis prosecutors alleging the agent filed a false report. Lyons acknowledged the agent appeared to have made "false statements" and opened an investigation, noting that lying under oath "is a serious federal crime."

Trump's crackdown on immigration has led critics to call for reform of ICE operations. At least 19 people have died in ICE custody since the beginning of this year. On June 27, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on authorities to "be held accountable" for these deaths.

Earlier, congressional Democrats refused to authorize funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unless certain measures were included, such as requiring immigration agents to clearly identify themselves, maintaining standards against excessive force, submitting to oversight, and ending racial profiling. These reforms were not passed, but the congressional deadlock caused months of delays for a new budget for ICE and CBP. The new budget was finally approved on June 9.

Secretary Mullin, who was confirmed to replace Kristi Noem in March, noted that ICE has not had a Senate-approved director for more than a decade. The last Senate-confirmed director was Sarah Saldaña, appointed under President Barack Obama, whose term ended in 2017. Since the beginning of Trump's first term, only acting directors have led the agency.

Mullin urged the Senate to confirm Schroyer swiftly. Trump also stressed: "The Senate must CONFIRM Lance, IMMEDIATELY — Don't delay."